/.^-^^^ ^^s^^ 










THE 

Great Redemption 



A TREATISE ON VARIOUS DOCTRINES OF THE 
NEW TESTAMENT RELIGION AS DELIVERED 
TO US BY OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS 
CHRIST AND BY HIS INSPIRED APOS- 
TLES, AND ENJOINED UPON 
ALL HIS FOLLOWERS. 



aUINCY LECKEONE. 



— «oo«^« 



^''Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may have 

right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through 

the gates into the city.''— Rev. 22 : 14. 



-OO- 



1898: 
Bible Student Publishing Co., 






Wwi COFIKi, HtceiVED. 



38877 



JUL 2 9 1899 1 

0/ Co?fS^ 



-1'?>o^l 



V 



j:isu2,\^^^^ . 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1899 by 

QUINCY LEOKRONE, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress 

at Washington. 

All Rights Reserved, 



PREFACE. 



TN sending out this little volume, our 
one hope is, that it may awaken in the 
reader a deeper interest in the various sub- 
jects discussed, and thereby lead him into a 
more thorough investigation of them, which 
investigation if impartially pursued, will 
lead invariably to an acceptance of the word 
of Truth in all its fullness. 

To those of my brethren who are walking 
day by day steadfast in the truth of the 
Gospel, my desire is that it may confirm 
them in their practice, and be an aid along 
life's pathway, instilling confidence and 
awakening hope, that the prospects of future 
happiness may grow brighter as we near 
the goal of eternal deliverance. 

In general, that the cause of Christ may 
be advanced, the Father's kingdom enlarged 
on the earth, and that many sinners may be 
ransomed and redeemed. 

QUmCY LECKRONE. 
Glenford, 0., r7r^7?. 1899. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Whoever forms his ideas of the plan of 
the great redemption from a careful perusal 
of the New Testament Scriptures, will per- 
ceive that system and orcle7' are predomi- 
nant characteristics. That the privileges 
offered and the duties enjoined form a series 
of steps, each one of which, when it is ac- 
cepted, qualifies the individual for the suc- 
ceeding one. 

Unity also is seen, in that these steps 
taken collectively form one indivisahle 
scheme, perfect only when each step is util- 
ized in its proper relation to the others. Noth- 
ing is more abhorent from the true princi- 
ples and maxims of the Sacred Word, than 
the idea that a plurality of faiths, beliefs 
and practices are admissible in the perfect- 
ed plan of Salvation as set forth in the 
doctrines taught by Christ and the inspir- 
ed apostles. 

Unity of purpose, as well as design, is 
strongly marked. There is but one cause, 



VI IlN^TRODUCTIOlSr. 

namely: that of depraved humanity, for 
wMdi the plan was inaugurated; and but 
one result, namely, man's redemption, to 
be achieved. To do this, God in his great 
mercy and goodness toward us, centralized 
in His Son Jesus Christ, through the word 
spoken by him, His jDower to redeem us. 

In the application of this word to our 
needs, there are three distinct di^dsions of 
requirements,which tons are as privileges by 
which we may work out our salvation. 
Phil. 2: 12. 

They are. First., Those obligatory upon 
each individual before he enters upon the 
duties of church membershij). They are 
Faith, Repentance and Baptism. All of 
these may be included in the general tern: 
Conversion. These requirements are out- 
side of the church, and to be performed 
as an individual privilege and duty pre- 
paratory to entering ujjon the duties obli- 
gatory upon the members of the body of 
Christ. 

Second. Those privileges and obliga- 
tions enjoined upon the church to be per- 
petuated as ordinances of the house of 
God. They are The Washing of the saints 



IIS^TRODIJCTIO]^. VII 

feet. The Lord^s Supper, and the Com- 
munion. 

We do . not include in this enumeration 
any of the regulations pertaining to church 
government; for they are not a part of the 
plan of redemption, but they are given only 
as a means of promoting the welfare of the 
church that the greatest good may be ac- 
comj)lished. 

Third. Those privileges and obligations 
enjoined upon each individual member of 
the body. These are the holy kiss of char- 
ity; anointing with oil m the name of the 
Lord; the doing of every good work, and 
keeping unspotted from the world. 

This general division of requirements 
gives us a wide scope for investigation, and 
also brings to bear the importance of the 
fundamental doctrines of the New Testa- 
ment in their proper relation to each other, 
and while it gives prominence to those 
things that are to be acted upon ])y the 
church as a body, it likewise impresses upon 
the individual both in and out of the church, 
his personal duty. 

Following up this general division we 
shall aim not only to establish and give 



YIII I]SrTRODUCTIO]Sr. 

prominence to the relationship of tlie vari- 
ous subjects discussed, with reference to the 
order in which they should be accepted and 
acted upon, but shall endeavor as well to 
emphasize the importance of the doctrines 
themselves, considered apart from their rela- 
tion to other subjects. 

We shall also endeavor by scriptural 
texts and references to arrive at the proper 
mode of 23ractice in observing these various 
doctrines, avoiding as much as possible 
whatever is calculated to irritate or lead to 
controversy on disputed questions. We 
shall advance no argument that has not been 
well weighed, and of the validity of which 
we are not thoroughly convinced. In or- 
der to avoid monotony, the method of inqui- 
ry is partly inductive and partly deductive, 
the conclusion in either instance being based 
upon previous premises. 



CONTENTS. 



Preface. 
Introduction. 

PART I. 

Prerequisites to Christian Fellowship. 
CHAPTER I.— Faith. 

The first essential.^ — What it does.^ — Definition. — 
Character of. — How obtained. — Comes by 
hearing the word.^ — As a full assurance. — Jus- 
tifying. — As a means of regeneration 13-23 

CHAPTER II.— Repentance. 

Definition.— How brought about. — Essential ele- 
ments. — First fruits of Faith. — When exper- 
ienced. — Condition of the penitent 24-30 

CHAPTER III.— Baptism. 

The birth of water as the outward sign, seal or 
token. — The Spiritual Truth taught by the 
literal acts. — Basis for typical interpretation. 
— The Place it occupies.- -The material used. 
■ — Why was it water? — The mode. — Immersion. 
— Sprinkling. — Origin and history of sprink- 
ling. — Trine immersion. — Bowing in Baptism. 
—Historical chart. — Historical quotation. . . .31-90 



X COJN^TENTS. 

PART II. 

Christian Fellowship.' 

CHAPTER I.— Washing the Saint's Feet. 
A neglected ordinance.— Objections answered. — 
The example. — The command. — The condi- 
tion of happiness , 91-108- 

CHAPTER II.— The Lord's Supper. 

Time of instituting it. — Place. — Character of the 
supper. — The supper compared to the Jewish 
Passover.-— The supper to be perpetuated . 109-125 

CHAPTER III.— The Communion. 

Time, place, etc. — Purpose. — Elements used. — 
Bread unleavened. — Fruit of the vine.^ — Wine, 
unfermented 126-146 

CHAPTER IV.— The Week of Passion. 

The Feast in Bethany. — Palm Sunday. — Cleans- 
ing the Temple; 1st time, 2nd time. — The two 
ano intings. — Time of Christ's trial, crucifixion 
and burial. — Day of the week. — The three 
suppers 147-164 

PART III. 

Individual Christian Duties. 
CHAPTER I.— The Holy Kiss of Charity. 

Love, a ruling passion. — God is love. — The Holy 
Kiss, a token of love. — The command. — Who 
should obey it? — An evidence of our knowing 
God. — Result of rejecting his word 165-172 

CHAPTER II.— Anointing the Sick With Oil. 
A wonderful promise. — Who should be anointed. 



CONTEIN^TS. XI 

— For bodily healing. — Practiced in the time of 
Christ 173-177 

CHAPTER III.— EvEKY Good Work. 

SECTION I. -PRAYER. 

God's grace abounds to all who draw near to re- 
ceive it. — To draw near we must be prepared 
in body as well as in min d. — Directions for 
men in prayer. — Women. — A special prayer 
covering. — Christ is head over all. — The 
woman lost this headship by her tr ansgression. 
— The *^sign of authority'' is evidence of her 
restoration. — The power of prayer 178-186 

SECTION II.-LITERAL DUTIES. 

The motive for doing good works must be pure. — 
Literal acts emphasized. — The doers are justi- 
fied.—Gospel liberty 187-192 

SECTION III.-CHRISTIAN FORBEARANCE. 

The family of God. — A righteous life possibl e. — 
How we fall. — Who can become offended. — 
Paul's instruction. — How to proceed when 
one has fallen. — Lenien cy toward the young. 
No saint can be offended. — How not to offend 
the weak.— The fruits of the spirit 193-203 

SECTION IV.-SUBMISSION. 

To the will of God.— To the Church.— To one 
another. — To those who are in authority. — It 
leads to peace. — Happiness 204-211 

CHAPTER IV. — Keeping Unspotted From the 

World. 

section i.-nonconformity to the world. 

Spiritual renewing. — Conscience not a safe guide. 



XII CO]S^TE]S^TS. 

— Bodily subjection begets mental subjec- 
tion. — Mental change the basis. — Work from 
within out.— The test 214-218 

SECTION II.-NON- SWEARING. 

Definition. — Kinds. — False swearing. — Christ^s 

teaching.— Things of evil 218-222 

SECTION III.-USE OF THE CIVIL LAW. 

Eight of protection. — Unity of aim. — Original in- 
tent of law. — Misuse of the law. — Its use 
among Christians forbidden. — When it maybe 
used 222-226 

SECTION IV.-PEACE PRINCIPLES. 

Definition. — With reference to individuals. — With 
reference to nations. — With reference to man 
and God 227-233 

SECTION V.-ANTI-SECRECY. 

Cause of their origin. — Present value. — Final re- 
sult. — Effects of the lodge system on civil 
government. — Patriotism. — Perjury. — Incom- 
patable with the Christian religion. — Unscrip- 
tural. — Violence to the word. An opposing 
religion. The Christian is complete in Christ. 
Two masters. Unequally yoked 234-273 

PART IV. 

The Great Redemption. 

CHAPTER I, Christ Hath Redeemed Us ! 

274-286 



.^ PART I. k. 



PREREQUISITES TO CHRISTIAN 
FELLOWSHIP. 



CHAPTER L— FAITH. 

T^AITH is a mental condition necessary 
^ in the individual that the plan of the 
Great Redemption may be effectual. It is 
the fundamental initiatory qualification that 
renders obedience to divine law acceptable. 
Without faith it is impossible to please God, 
Heb. 11:6. 

As a condition, and not an agent, and as 
an end, and not a means, it sustains in the 
devotee, a passive relationship to his God. 

It may be defined as a confidence estab- 
lished, or a dependence on the veracity of 
another; hence, a reliance on promises theo- 
retical or otherwise. 

Since it is natural for man to believe in 
something, and being fallible, and moved 
largely by physical impulses, he is liable to 



14 THE GREAT KEDEMPTIOK. 

have his confidence established in whatever 
satisfies his physical emotions; hence the ne- 
cessity of an aid that the right kind of faith 
may be established : for faith as a passive 
condition must be of such a character as to 
admit of a complete development of all the 
essentials to a spiritual growth. 

Faith is a source, a fertile field for growth 
in grace. Much then depends upon the 
character of faith for a growth in obedience 
to the requirement of the Great Salvation. 

Since there are various conditions of faith, 
relative to its character, we may inquire 
whence comes faith ? And an investigation 
of its source will lead to an understanding 
of the different conditions. Paul answers 
our inquiry, Rom. 10: 17; — ''Faith cometh 
by hearing and hearing by the word of 
God.'' Plainly then, the Word made man- 
ifest in the flesh by the Son (John 1: 1-14) 
is the first cause in establishing the right 
condition of faith. 

It comes by hearing tlie Word: hence the 
command (Mark 16: 15-16) "Go ye into all 
world and preach the Gospel (the Word of 
God) to every creature. He that belie veth 
and is baptized shall be saved." 



FAITH. 15 

Now it is evident that Christ foreknew 
that hearing the word would not create 
faith in all who heard, at least not faith of 
the character necessary to salvation. Paul 
did not say that this faith would inevitably 
come to those who heard, but that hearing 
was the means by which it could be ob- 
tained. 

To hear and know the Word does not al- 
ways result in faith ; infidels hear and yet do 
not believe. God has endowed man with 
the faculty of decision, and made him thus 
a free moral agent. He sits in judgment 
upon the Word when he hears it. He sanc- 
tions or condemns it, accepts or rejects. 
The mind sits preeminently the master of 
consequences. 

If it accepts the word, faith is the result. 
If it rejects it, infidelity is the result. 
Should it accept in part only, a faith of like 
character will be the result. This is the 
immediate source of the different conditions 
of faith. One may read or hear the Word 
as he would a narrative of past events, he 
accepts as true and thus has established an 
historical faith. 

Of this condition James (2: 17-24) 



16 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOl^. 

speaks when lie says 'Taitli without works 
is dead." The word, like the good seed, 
has fallen where there is no soil. The 
heart is the receptacle, but in this case it 
holds the germ in such a condition that 
there can be no development. 

Many wicked persons and those who 
make no profession have faith in this condi- 
tion. They are fully convinced that God 
is, and that heaven is, and that salvation 
is obtained alone through Christ, but they 
fail to make themselves passive recipients 
of the requirements which they know to be 
true . 

Another has faith, which, though not 
unlike the former in its manner of concep- 
tion, springs iijd suddenly into an active obe- 
dience, quickly manifesting itself in exter- 
nal representation of the truth received, and 
often accompanied with great joy and loud 
rejoicing, which, alas, too often comes from 
some worldly consideration and lacks the 
deep conviction necessary to make it endur- 
ing. Of this class the Savior speaks in the 
parable of the sower, (Matt. 13: 20) ''He 
that receiveth the seed into stony places the 
same is he that heareth the word, and anon 



FAITH. 17 

witli joy receivetli it (v. 21); yet hatli lie 
not root (a proper condition of faith) in 
himself, but duretli for a while; for when 
tribulation or persecution ariseth because of 
the Word, by and by he is offended." 

He has good intentions, good resolutions, 
and apparently made a good start and grew 
rapidly, but when the fulness of the strict 
requirements of the Son of righteousness 
shines down upon him he withers away and 
seeks the easier yoke of a liberal conscience 
(1 John 2: 16) or it stands in the field as 
a withered blighted stalk and then at last 
is gathered with the tares. (Matt. 13: 30.) 
James 1: 14 speaks of these as those who 
were drawn away of their own lust. Jude 
(v. 12) speaks of them as ''spots in your 
feasts of charity when they feast with you." 
In the parable of the sower, the Word is 
the seed, the heart is the soil. Now if this 
soil must be prepared before it can or will 
receive the Word, how is it to be prepared 
without faith ? If hearing the word creates 
faith the word must have fallen on the 
heart first; hence it fell on a heart unpre- 
pared. But if that word was accepted it 
created a certain condition in the heart, 



18 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOJST. 

called faith. This condition is not the re- 
sult of faith but the establishment of it. It 
is the ''root in himself." 

Now when the seed, the Word, is sown in 
this prepared heart it will manifest itself 
according to what condition of preparation 
is found in the heart, i. e. according to what 
condition of faith abounds. 

The Word referred to, in ''Faith cometh 
by hearing, and hearing by the word,'' is 
that which brought a general knowledge of 
God, and of Christ as our Savior. This is 
clear; for in the time of the apostles many 
who believed, i. e. had their faith estab- 
lished, said, "What must we do to be 
saved''? This question would not have 
been asked had they been acquainted with 
the doctrine of baptism and of the many 
other Christian duties following after faith. 
Here the parable of the sower will illus- 
trate. The man who had not root (a 
proper condition of faith) in himself en- 
dured for a while, but when persecution 
arose, because of the Word^ (not that Word 
which caused him to have faith in God and 
Christ but that which he w^as taught by 
Christ and which h^^ began to practice) his 



FAITH. 19 

faith was not of the character necessary to 
give him stability. 

To hear the Word, not that which per- 
tains to ordinances, but that which sets 
forth God as omnipotent, and the claims of 
Christ as our Savior, creates faith which if 
it be of the right charactei" causes us to ac- 
cept all the teaching of Christ as necessary 
to obtaining the end or object of our faith, 
the salvation of the soul. 

There is still another class who exercise 
faith in a peculiar way. They are captiva- 
ted by some single demonstration of the 
power of God, as was the lame man when 
he found that Paul and Barnabas were able 
to cure him, (Acts 14: 9.) Of this class 
Christ speaks when a certain man brought 
his son, a lunatic, to be healed. [Matt. 17 
17.] 

We now come to that character of faith 
wherein lies the full assurance of the be 
liever and an unwavering confidence in 
the promises sealed by the great atonement 
This character of faith is a saving grace 
established in the soul by the Spirit of God 
through the preaching of theWord. 

It is the justifying, saving or living faith 



20 THE aEEAT REDEMPTION. 

whereby Christ is accepted in all his ful- 
ness. Paul [Heb. 11: 1] defines it as ''the 
substance of things hoped for, the evidence 
of things not seen." That is, it enables the 
believer to experience as though it vras a 
substantive presence in real possession, the 
joys of heavenly things for which he has 
had a lively hope awakened [1 Pet. 1: 3] 
by the renewing and quickening of his spir- 
itual life which this faith begat in him. 
Though these things are not seen, yet by 
this faith he is made certain of their exis- 
tence and he feels such a spiritual assured- 
ness that God will fulfill His promises that 
he resigns himself wholly submissive to His 
will. No more authenticated evidence of 
''things unseen'' can be imagined than this, 
that an individual will yield himself wholly 
a passive servant of the unseen power of the 
things unseen. 

By virtue of this faith man is as clay in 
the hands of the potter [Jer. 18: 6.] He is 
moulded and fashioned after the glorious 
image of God as reflected in Jesus Christ 
It brings him at once under the unerring 
council, the infinite goodness, the immutable 
truth and the omnipotent power of God, 



FAITH. 21 

He does not waver at those doctrines of 
Christ whicli by the light of reason he can- 
not understand; even though they be not 
revealed; for his faith has taken upon it 
a touch of the Divine embellishment. It is 
no longer historical, or philosophical, or 
ethical. It is judgment passed beyond the 
bound of human ken. It is reason glorified . 
In heaven's chancery are kept the elements, 
God holds the indefinable mystery; man the 
essence. 

This faith is the condition through which 
we are saved, [Eph. 2:8], not that it is the 
meritorious accomplishment of a final result, 
but as a means through which the work of 
righteousness may be accomplished to our 
justification. 

Faith is now a means by which the work 
of regeneration is carried on. To be regen- 
erated is to be born again. 

The etymology of the term — from the 
Latin, genera. Theologically considered it 
signifies even more than this. It means, to 
begin again. Man at the creation began^ 
was created or generated, in the likeness of 
God, perfect, pure and undefiled. He knew 
God; for he was like Him, but when sin 



22 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS^. 

entered he lost his likeness to God. He de- 
generated or began to go away from Him. 
Throngh sin entering him he went farther 
and farther away nntil he had lost all like- 
ness of God and no longer knew Him. He 
must therefore, to be benefited by the 
Great Redemption, begin again, or be born 
again. 

John [1st Epistle, 5:1] says, '^ Whosoever 
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of 
God." He also says in chapter 3, verse 9, 
that '^ One who is born of God cannot sin; 
for His seed remaineth in him.*" Now the 
''seed" is the word of God. He then who 
has the right kind of faith, which came by 
hearing the Word, retains that Word in 
him. He now knows God, for he has begun 
again, 'been born again\ and so long as he 
retains that faith he cannot sin. Thus it 
becomes to him a saving faith. It is also a 
living faith; for it is the good soil in which 
the "good seed," the words of Christ, is em- 
bedded, and it will burst forth into an active 
reproduction or representation of that word. 
James says [2:18], "I will show thee my 
faith by my works." By virtue of this jus- 
tifying faith the seed, the word, is retained 



FAITH. 23 

in the soul. It moulds and fashions tlie 
inner man like unto the Glorious Image 
of God revealed through the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

Then we are drawn heavenward by the 
unction of kindred spirits, and the soul's 
pulsations throb in unison with every will 
of the High and Holy One, and as we awake 
to a higher life and grander views our song 
shall ever be : 

^^My faith looks up to Thee, 
Thou Lamb of Calvary," 



CHAPTER II.— REPENTANCE. 



^ I ^HE signification of tlie Frencli root re- 
■^ pentir from whicli tlie En glisli repent- 
ance is derived is primarily pain. The pain 
which one experiences in consequence of the 
injury inflicted by his own conduct. 

This pain can only be present when the 
result of wrong doing is plainly seen. It 
may precede the infliction of the penalty or 
it may follow it. 

It is a changed state of mind brought 
about by an uncontrovertable conviction of 
error. The degree or depth of the change de- 
pends upon the thoroughness of the convic- 
tion, and the pain or mental anguish or sor- 
row is more or less severe as the extent of 
the evil doing is more or less realized. 

To bring about this state of regret the in- 
dividual must know and fully understand 
the nature and tendency of the thing in 
which he was engaged. 



REPEJN^TAJSrCE. 25 

Before any one can realize that he has 
committed an offense he cannot repent or 
have an anguish or sorrow for the thing 
done. 

Necessary to and preceding the great 
work of regeneration is the awakening of 
the erring one to a full understanding of his 
present condition. This, however, will 
bring no result unless there is presented to 
him a better condition than that in which 
he now finds himself, and this better condi- 
tion must be so presented thathe may under- 
stand its nature and tendency as fully as he 
does the condition in which he now is. 

The experience of the Prodigal son is a 
striking example of one in this condition. 
Realizing his destitution, want and misery, 
he remembered that in his father's house 
there was plenty, and with a prospect of en- 
joying that bounty he resolved to arise and 
go home. 

The criminal repents, after the law^ has 
bound him, when he holds in contrast to his 
present condition the former liberty which 
he enjoyed. Had he not been bound of the 
law and shown the result of his error there 
would have been no cause, from a legal 



26 THE GEEAT REDEMPTIOIN". 

standpoint, for repentance; for he exper- 
ienced no inconvenience from tlie deed lie 
had done. 

Repentance may take j3lace before the 
punishment is inflicted, as in the case of 
Judas, [Mat. 27:3], when he saw the result 
that was following from his betrayal of 
Christ. He was severely afllicted in his 
mind about it; he wished it had not been 
done; he brought back the money and at- 
tempted to undo what he had done. He 
repented but it was because of the fear of 
punishment pronounced upon sin. 

Such a repentance is not accompanied by 
any hatred or disapproval of sin, and conse- 
quently no sorrow for anything other than 
that he was overtaken in his sin and ex- 
posed to punishment. Such a sorrow does 
not accompany a condition of repentance 
necessary to salvation. 

Paul says, [2 Cor. 7:10], ''A godly sor- 
row worketh repentance to salvation," and 
he rejoiced that the Corinthians sorrowed to 
repentance. 

This repentance of the Corinthians was 
different from that of Judas in that their 
sorrow was godlike while his was sensual, 



REPEIN^TAIN^CE. 27 

wholly terminating on himself; he was 
moved wholly by a desire for his individual 
benefit; he was not humbled because God 
was offended and dishonored and his own 
soul defiled. 

Paul had written a letter to the Corinth- 
ians and, apparently, had reprimanded them 
by pointing out some of their faults and ad- 
monishing them to accept better things. 
They were not offended, but much grieved 
for they loved the things he condemned. 
They w^ere sorrowful for they loved God 
also. This condition continued but a short 
time only. It gave way to a full surrender 
to the will of God. 

It exercised their spiritual uneasiness 
through their love of God in the direction 
of effecting a reconciliation with him. 
Therefore Paul could say ''a godly sorrow 
worketh repentance to salvation not to be 
repented of." 

There are two kinds of repentance each 
growing out of the distinctive influences 
that brought about the act. One may be 
called a legal repentance, that which exists 
in the guilty one simply because he has been 
detected in his evil. The other may be 



28 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOIST. 

called an evangelical repentance, tliat wliicli 
arises from a love to God, a love to holi- 
ness, a fixed determination to forsake evil 
and an unwavering expectation of pardon 
and final redemption throngli tlie merits of 
tlie Great Atonement. This is true repen- 
tance and it follows after and is tlie result 
of tlie reception of a justifying faith. 

When faith enters, the soul at once be- 
comes passive to the Spirit of Truth but 
finds itself encumbered mth the pollution 
of sin uncleansed and unpurified it cries 
out, ''Lord what mlt thou have me to do?'' 

Ha^dng received faith the soul is taught 
by it to look to Jesus, and in him it sees 
One purified, perfect, spotless. It envies 
that condition and longs to be like him. It 
holds its own sin stained condition in con- 
trast with him in whom there is no sin and 
is thus made conscious of its own fallen 
state and to anticipate the possibility of gain- 
ing favor with God. 

When John preached to the multitude in 
the wilderness he pointed out their sinful 
condition and showed them the possibility 
of living a better life, and when they came 
to him with evidence of their sincerity 



(Matt. 3: 8) he baptized tliem with a bap- 
tism which is called the ' 'baptism of repen- 
tance'' (Mark 1: 4) '^for the remission of 
sins. 

Likewise Peter under the Gospel dispen- 
sation preached to the multitude on the day 
of Pentecost revealing the necessity of hav- 
ing sins removed. He did so by holding up 
the perfect One. When they understood 
his preaching and were ''pricked in their 
hearts," that is, brought to a knowledge of 
their condition, they said unto him "What 
shall we do" ? We here have the example 
of a multitude who were entering the first 
stage of repentance, that is, were seeing 
themselves as they stood uncleasnsed and 
guilty, face to face with that better condi- 
tion which it was their privilege to obtain. 

Peter answers "Repent" — do not wait any 
longer in your sins. Renounce the evil at 
once, though it be a painful task to give up 
that which you formerly loved, do it — "and 
be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." 

By these instances as well as others that 
might be cited to it is seen that repentance 
was effected in the same way and for the 



30 THE aHEAT EEDEMPTIO]Sr. 

same purpose througliout tlie Gospel dispen- 
sation. 

Tliat repentance is tlie first fruits of faith 
is evident since no one can truly repent 
without a knowledge of his depraved condi- 
tion, together with a knowledge of the Great 
Atonement made for him. 

By faith in Christ he is made to accept 
the Word which brings to him this knowl- 
edge. He is now a changed being, we may 
call it conversion if we wish to. Instead of 
being a lover of sin he has fled from it as 
from a mortal enemy. He not only believes 
in God but has sought him as a haven of 
refuge. He has turned from the cold barren 
and false dominion of the tyrant of his soul 
to the true and living God, humbly knock- 
ing for admittance, crying, 

"Father, I stretch my hand to thee, 
No other help I know; 
If thou withdraw thyself from me, 
Ah, whither shall I go"? 



CHAPTER III.— BAPTISM. 



TLTAVING examined the conditions neces- 
■^ ^ sary as qualifications, to an heirship 
in the kingdom of grace, we come now to an 
examination of the means employed to induct 
the penitent believer into that relationship 
with Christ whereby he is made an heir to all 
the benefits of the Great Redemption. 

It is not the intention of the author to 
enter into a critical discussion, or an ex- 
tended presentation of the efficacy of water 
in connection with the divine rite. That a 
birth of water is spoken of by Christ with 
as much prominence and force as a birth of 
the spirit is evidence of the importance of 
its administration. 

Faith and repentance are manifestations of 
the beginning of the spiritual birth. 
Through them the individual has started a 
new life. He has begun again. Pie is be- 
ing born again, but he is not yet relieved of 
his sins, only he is made conscious of his 



32 THE (^REAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

condition, and, like Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9: 
6,) is ready to cry out ''What wilt thou 
have me to do." 

Whenever God made a covenant mth his 
chosen people he required of those accepting 
it, obedience to some external rite which he 
himself pointed out. He required it as an 
open confession, a ''sign," a "seal" or a 
"token" of their acknowledgement of the 
covenant. If these three names have a three 
fold meaning it may be in this, the sigii is 
the tangible fact evidencing all of God's 
covenanted pledges to man and all of man's 
covenanted obligations to Him. 

The seal is the tangible act evidencing 
an acquiescence in each individual case. 
The tohen is a reminder to all who enter in- 
to this relation that they maintain in\4olate 
their covenanted loyalty to God, while it 
evidences His immutable fidelity to all who 
enter into the covenant. He has made with 
us a covenant and pointed out as a seal 
thereto the water of baptism. John gives 
it as one of the earthly mtnesses of our faith. 
(1 John 5:8.) Throughout the whole his- 
tory of God's dealing mth men He has in 
every instance couched the spiritual lesson 



BAPTISM. 33 

to be learned and retained, in some literal 
tangible design. The soul, tlie inner man, 
the tliinkev^ is touched only by the medium 
of the senses of the body. These senses con- 
vey intelligences to the mind. God kno^v- 
ng our weakness and inability to hold in 
mind spiritual results while living in the 
flesh, has, therefore, made available to us 
our depraved nature in using this aptitude 
of ours, to be controlled mentally by literal 
environments, as an agent or means to estab- 
lish in us spiritual truths. This methed is 
carried throughout the New Testament, as 
is evidenced in the ordinances of the House 
of God, as well as throughout that of the 
Old. 

In the selection of material things to rep- 
resent spiritual truths and teachings. He has 
chosen those which bear a metaphorical re- 
semblance to the truth to be taught. Thus 
the Tabernacle services; the sprinkling of 
blood; the Pascal lamb etc., of the Ohl 
Testament, Baptism; the Lord's Supper; 
The Communion etc., of the New Testanunit 
all bear as close resemblance to the s])irit- 
ual fact desired as it is possible for material 
things to do. 



34 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS^. 

Tlie following statements mil be found 
of great importance for tliey form the basis 
for tlie typical inter j)retation of all tlie ordi- 
nances of tlie Christian economy. 

First, the place these literal means occupy 
have a bearing upon the development of a 
religious character. 

Second, The materials selected are only 
such as will readily suggest the spiritual im- 
j)ort of that which they represent. 

Third, The manner in which they are 
used aids in retaining the efficacy and nature 
of the di\dne grace or favor which they rep- 
resent. 

Having laid down these primary princi- 
ples for the analysis of the subject, we now 
proceed to discuss water baptism in the or- 
der in which these principles are stated. 

First^ The place it occupies is of prime 
importance; for it is a prerequisite to mak- 
ing available the benefits of other ordinan- 
ces that are to follow. The promised result 
of baptism is of incalculable consequence. 

When Peter preached on the day of Pen- 
tecost and the multitude were convinced, 
they said to Peter and the rest, "What shall 
we do" ? Peter answered, "Repent and be 



BAPTISM. 35 

baptised.'' It is evident that these already 
believed and needed only to repent that they 
might be eligible to baptism. He thus 
places baptism as following faith and repen- 
tance and assnres them that it shall be fol- 
lowed by the reception of the Holy Ghost. 
(Acts 2:38.) - 

Invariably where the Holy Ghost is men- 
tioned in connection with baptism, (except 
in the case of Cornelius, which was an ex- 
ceptional case, undoubtedly intended to teach 
the Jews, who still believe that salvation 
had come only to the House of Israel, that 
the Gentiles were also included in the Great 
Redemption), it is represented as coming 
after and as a gift bestowed in consequence 
of baptism. 

Now the office of the Holy Ghost is to 
lead into all truth; hence before we can ex- 
pect to enter into the fulness of the Gospel 
we need this God -given Spirit, and since we 
receive it, as well as the pardon of our sins, 
upon the condition of baptism, it follows 
that baptism must necessarily precede the 
performance of any other Christian duties 
after faith and repentance, in order that we 
may act intelligently in every other duty. 



36 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOK. 

Again it is the door into the visible king- 
dom. Faith and repentance do not place 
anyone within the kingdom, visible or in- 
visible. It brings them to the door qualified 
for admittance. Christ said to Mcodemus, 
''except a man be born of water and of the 
spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of 
God.'' (John 3: 5.) 

Panl testifies concerning his own conver- 
sion (Acts 22: 6-16) that when he was 
stricken down he cried to the Lord to know 
what he shonld do, and he was commanded 
to go into Damascus, with the promise that 
there it shonld be told him what to do. He 
went and there met Ananias, the chosen 
minister of the Lord. Ananias said to him, 
"The Lord hath chosen thee that thon 
shonld'st know his will." Notice that 
though the Lord had already chosen Saul, 
had accepted him, destined him to be a wit- 
ness to all men of the things he had seen and 
heard, yet he was not sent on that mission 
until he was baptized; for though he be- 
lieved and exercised repentance, his sins 
were not yet pardoned. 

That they might be taken away, Ananias 
said to him, ''Arise and be bajjtized and 



BAPTISM, 37 

wash away tliy sins.'' Thus Ave see that one 
directly chosen of God to perform a special 
mission must be baptized before entering on 
that mission. The eunuch immediately 
after a confession of faith (Acts 8:37-38) was 
baptized and then went on his way rejoic- 
ing. 

Suffice it to say that in every instance re- 
corded in the New Testament where bap- 
tism was administered, or recommended, it 
was upon the condition of turning to Christ 
through faith and repentance, and in no in- 
stance did it precede them, nor in any in- 
stance was it deferred until after they had 
proved themselves faithful members of the 
Church, the body of Christ. Indeed it 
could not have been, since it was the means 
of induction into the body. By this means 
^'there was added unto the church,'' on the 
day of Pentecost, ''about three thousand 
souls." 

In the light of this array of evidences no 
one can doubt the divinely appointed 
place of this most important of the New 
Testament rites. Important because of the 
eternal consequences to be achieved by it. 
''Except a man be born of water and of the 



38 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

Si3irit lie cannot enter into the kingdom of 
God;' 

Second, The material chosen by di\"ine 
authority by which the tangible act, as the 
seal evidencing the new birth, is performed, 
is water. This element w^as used by John in 
the mlderness as well as in various manners 
in the Mosaic ser^dce. The idea of its use in 
religious rites was not new when Christ made 
use of it in connection vAih. the new birth. 

Why God has chosen this simple element 
to be used in representing so grand a spirit- 
ual work may be in a measure comprehend- 
ed by the foUomng consideration. As in 
all other literal things chosen to represent 
spiritual designs, we have in this an element 
which in its physiological properties most 
nearly literalizes the various characteristics 
of the Spirit, a birth of which its use is to 
represent. 

In the first place it has a greater solvent 
or cleansing power than any other natural 
element. By wtue of this property, water 
when ap23lied causes particles of matter of 
unlike substances adhering to each other, to 
loose their power of adhesion, and are there- 
fore easily separated. This is the property 



BAPTISM. 39 

of water that makes it so available for clean- 
sing purposes. Bodies are plunged into it 
and cleansed of all foreign substances. Like 
it, is the spirit in its application to the soul 
affecting the new birth. The soul once 
pure and clean when it left the hand of its 
Creator, has in its unregenerated state, cling- 
ing to it the loathsome leprosy of sin. It is 
foreign to the soul, is earth-born, it is of the 
devil. Through faith the soul is made con- 
scious of its condition. By repentance it lan- 
guishes in sorrow and feels the deadly sting 
and venom of its enemy. It must be cleans- 
ed. The spirit says (Kev. 3: 20) ^'Behold 
I stand at the door and knock, if any man 
hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
come in to him and sup with him and he 
with me." The soul hears the voice; 
Through repentance the door'is opened. The 
spirit enters, destroys the power with which 
sin had attached itself and removes it, — as 
a foreign substance from the soul. It is 
thus cleansed and made pure again by this 
new birth, born of the spirit. No literal 
thing can so completely represent this cleans- 
ing of the soul by the spirit as the applica- 
tion of water to the body in the act of bap- 



40 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

tism. 

Again, water has an elastic property. By 
\drtue of this property Avhen an indenture is 
made in it, the surface is only broken while 
the cause of disturbance remains in contact; 
immediately on its removal the water fills 
out to its original form. Like it is the spirit 
in its operation. When the life that is filled 
with the spirit comes in contact with the 
world it is liable to be pierced with the 
darts of the enemy, the soul is wounded and 
the spirit driven out, but immediately upon 
the removal of the cause of this spiritual 
disturbance the spirit resumes its place and 
the Christian character is rounded out so 
that no trace of the evil may be seen. 
When the spirit gains the victory for a soul 
in its conflict with sin, it not only takes 
possession of that soul, but fills it with such 
a marvelous beauty that no spot or wrinkle 
of the evil mars its \dsage. 

Another important property of water that 
affords a striking resemblance to the opera- 
tion of the spirit, is that of its specific heat. 
The specific heat of a body is the quantity 
of heat-energy required to produce a defi- 
nite increase of temperature in -a given 



BAPTISM. 41 

weight of that body. By virtue of this 
property, water requires the induction of 
more heat-energy to produce a change in 
temperature than any other common sub- 
stance. Not unlike this is the moving pow- 
er of the spirit when applied to the soul. 
How often the spirit strives through years 
with the soul before any perceptible change 
is made. This teaches that the work of re- 
generation, or the new birth, is accom- 
plished, not in a moment of high excite- 
ment, but by a slow and steady process, in- 
dicative of permanence. 

Water, when it has once received its heat- 
energy, is slowest to give off that heat. So 
with the soul that has been influenced by 
the spirit. However small the outward 
manifestations may have been there lingers 
through years, even in him who has re- 
nounced the faith, traces of that which once 
was there, and we doubt very much if the 
soul, which was once enlightened, can lose 
entirely the good impressions that were 
made. 

Water is heated by adding tla^ heat-ener- 
gy to each individual particle of the entire 
quantity. This is most effectually done, 



42 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS". 

since tlie heated particles become light and 
rise, by placing tlie heat-energy-prodncing- 
agent beneath the water. Heat may be ap- 
plied to the surface above and that part be 
heated and a great amonnt of steam pro- 
duced together with no inconsiderable noise. 
While in the lower parts ice may be form- 
ing. Steam and noise are not sure eviden- 
ces of thorough heating. A showy profes- 
sion and loud shouting are not sure e\dden- 
ces that the soul is baptized of the spirit, 
but too frequently that the baptism has 
gone no further than to the head; for men 
can praise God Avith the lips when their 
hearts are far from him. 

The baptism of the spirit takes hold of 
every part of our nature; controls our ac- 
tions, our words and our thoughts. It fills 
us with love to God and to one another, so 
that every action, or thought becomes a ben- 
ediction of praise to God for the Great Re- 
demption. 

Water is the main food for plants and an- 
imals; it is the great life sustainer; it not 
only enters in comjDosition with the body it- 
self but is in constant demand to replenish 
the system. 



BAPTISM. 43 

That which is within man and born of the 
spirit is represented as the ''spiritual man'' 
(Hos. 9: 7.) To be born of the spirit is to 
have given to this spiritual man spiritual 
life. ''The spirit giveth life'' (2 Cor. 3: 6). 
It is the food upon which all spiritual life 
exists. It is not only an element co-exist- 
ing wdth the inner man but also in constant 
demand to sustain its life. 

By the baptism of the spirit the soul is 
not only filled with the spirit of God but 
daily subsists, eating that spiritual meat and 
drinking spiritual drink from the Rock 
which is Christ. (1 Cor. 10: 3-4.) 

Again water is the most abundant ele- 
ment in existence. It is found in everything, 
and in every place, in sea, and earth, and 
sky, representative of the omnipresence of 
the spirit. God is a spirit and he says, 
(Matt. 18: 20) "Where two or three are 
gathered together in my name there am I in 
the midst of them." 

The Psalmist testifies (Ps. 139: 9-13) to 
this spirit abounding everywhere. 

Many other lessons might be drawn from 
the characteristics of water as a most suita- 
ble element by which to represent the won- 



44 THE GKEAT KEDEMPTIOIN^. 

derful operation of the spirit in the new 
birth. 

Christ has given us the jDri^dlege of ap- 
plying this element in our initiatory rite into 
the kingdom, or church militant, that we 
might be enabled to understand the nature 
of being born of the spirit. Besides its use 
as a seal to the great redemption, it is to be 
perpetuated, even though we may not under- 
stand the full significance of "being born of 
the spirit," as a constant reminder of the 
wonderful work to be accomplished by the 
baptism of the spirit, as well as a reminder 
of the immutable fidelity of God to carry 
out the promises he has made in the new 
covenant. 

Let no one trust in the ho]3e of redemj)tion 
mthout this seal. Though the water of it- 
self has no saving j)ower, yet when conse- 
crated, through prayer, for the baptismal 
rite it becomes the divinely appointed means 
whereby fallen man may be admitted into 
the presence of the Most Holy, availing 
himself of the Holy Spirit of God whereby 
he is sealed unto the day of redemption. 

Third — The mode of applying the bap- 
tismal water aids in retaining the significance 



BAPTISM. 45 

of the baptism of the Spirit. 

Water is used in baptism for no other 
purpose than to symbolize the spiritual 
work. Now for a thing to be a symbol it 
must be something which in its use com- 
pares with the thing symbolized. If its use 
fails to show this comparison it is not a sym- 
bol. Hence water must be so used in bap- 
tism as to maintain this comparison. A de- 
viation from such use destroys the symbol 
and likewise destroys whatever benefit the 
symbol is intended to produce. 

There are four figures in the New Tes- 
tament baptism that the literal act of bap- 
tism must symbolize. These are: 1st, a 
burial, (Kom. 6:4; Col. 2:12), '^Buried with 
him by baptism;" 2nd, a birth, (John 3:5), 
''Born of water;" 3rd, a loashing, (Heb. 
10:22), ''bodies washed with pure water;" 
4th, 2i planting, (Rom. 6:5), "Planted to- 
gether in the likeness of his death." 

These figures point with unmistakable 
certainty to the mode of using the water in 
baptism. If the sacred record contained 
nothing more on the subject, there could l>e 
but the one conclusion, l)ut the fact that it 
does contain other evidences, both direct 



46 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr, 

and circumstantial, only augments tlie 
strength of this one conclusion. 

Buried signifies — submerged, put beneath 
the surface. 

Born signifies — a coming forth out of; 
"born of water" means, come- forth out of 
water. 

Washed signifies — an application of water 
to the entire body. '^Bodies washed with 
pure water." 

Planted in the likeness of His death is an 
allusion to the bowing posture in baptism in 
comparison to the bowing of Christ in His 
death when ''he bowled his head and gave 
up the Ghost." [John 19:30.] 

These figures require a symbol in the act 
of baptism that can only be represented by 
imiuersion. If the Master intended any 
other mode, or if the apostles would have 
derived any other meaning from His teach- 
ing, their figurative expressions in allusion 
to it would have been in keeping with the 
symbols used to represent it. 

Aside from the deductions drawn from 
these figures there are other evidences sup- 
porting the same conclusion. 

To be more explicit in our investigation 



BAPTISM. 4:1 

we will examine, first, immersion; second, 
sprinkling and pouring; third, three actions 
in baptism; fourth, bowing in baptism. Let 
the reader bear in mind that the burden of 
this investigation is not a search for plausi- 
ble arguments in excuse for Forward Trine 
Immersion but to set forth the incontrover- 
tible evidences that it was taught by Christ 
and the apostles, practiced by primitive 
Christians and is the only mode worthy of 
recognition at the present time. 

FIRST.— IMMEESION. 

Baptize is the Anglocized Greek verb, 
hajytizo; translated into English it is im- 
merse. It would so stand in our common 
Bible had it not been for the heated contro- 
versy just fifty years before its translation. 

In about the year 1560 A. D. a company 
of English Bishops, who contended against 
immersion, calling it the ''devil," urged Par- 
liament to legislate it out of the land ''be- 
cause it was so troublesome" [noble rea- 
son!] and substitute sprinkling for it,under- 
took to translate the Bible, but when they 
came to the word baptize) they saw at once 
that if they translated it, it would be a death 



48 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOK. 

stroke to their cherislied desire of lia^T^ng 
immersion legislated out of tlie realm, and 
not venturing, because of its well knoA^oi 
meaning, to translate it witli tlie word 
sprinkle tliey seized upon wkat to tkem was 
a kappy tkougkt, tkougk a stumbling block 
to generations after them. It was this: not 
to translate the word at all but to give it an 
English termination and let it stand un- 
translated. By this means they transferred 
it from the Greek into the English language 
and thus added a new word to the English 
vocabulary. 

In July 1604 when King James nom- 
inated fifty-four of his wisest men, forty- 
seven of whom responded, to prepare a new 
translation of the Bible, he gave them a 
number of rules by which they were to be 
governed. One of these rules was that they 
should follow the translation of the Bishop's 
Bible as closely as the original would per- 
mit; hence when they came to the word haj)- 
tizo they followed the copy before them and 
simply transcribed the word into tbe English 
just as the eight Bishops had done fifty 
years before. This accounts for the word 
baptize standing in our common Bible 



BAPTISM. 49 

where tlie word immerse out to stand. Never- 
theless the meaning is not changed, When 
a new word comes into our language whether 
it be Anglocized by termination or com- 
pounded from different foreign roots, we go 
to the original to determine its primary 
meaning. 

Baptizo^ among the Greeks, means to im- 
merse, to dip. It meant that in the time of 
Christ as well as at present. Scores of sen- 
tences can be quoted from the Greek authors 
of that period, and later, where the word is 
used in that sense, and the stubborn fact 
that not one can be found wherein the word 
conveys the idea of sprinkle or pour throws 
the evidence of the Greek authors on the 
side of immersion. 

In the Greek version of the Old Testa- 
ment we find haptizo meaning to dip. (2nd 
Kings 5:14.) If it means to dip there, and 
all agree it does, it also means to dip in. 
Mat. 3:6 where the same word is again used. 

When sprinkling is meant a different 
word, rantizo^ is used. This word is found 
in Num. 9:18. This same word is used by 
Paul in Ileb. 9:13 where the meaning is 
clearly sprinkling. Why did not Paul use 



50 THE GKEAT KEDEMPTIOIST. 

that word wlien lie said, ''Buried with Mm 
by baptism/' (Rom. 6:4), if lie meant that 
baptism was performed by sprinkling ? The 
same writer would not use two words so 
different in meaning and expect us to take 
from them the same meaning. 

Again, ''baptizo," to immerse, is always 
followed by the Greek preposition en or eis 
which means into, while "rantizo,'' to 
sj)rinkle, or ''echeo,'' to pour, is followed by 
e2yi which means on or upon. The mode of 
baptism must be such as will carry out the 
requirements of the language used by Divine 
authority in speaking of it, and it follows 
from the above conditions that immersion is 
the only mode by which this can be done. 

The circumstances attending every in- 
stance of baptism recorded in the New Tes- 
tament are such as permit of the rite being 
performed by immersion. We notice first, 
that when inspired men were to administer 
the rite of baptism they went to where there 
was much water. Mat. 3: 5,6, Mark 1 :5 and 
9, John 3:23, all testify to this fact. What 
other purpose could have constrained them 
to resort to the river ? Surely, if immersion 
was not the object, their wants could have 



BAPTISM. 51 

been supplied without the inconvenience of 
a journey to the river. 

When it is said [John 3:23] that ''John 
also was baptizing in Aenon, near to Salim, 
because there was much water there/' some 
presume to say that he was preaching there 
because there was much water there for the 
accommodation of the camels and dromedar- 
ies upon which the people rode when they 
went out to hear him preach. No doubt 
the benevolent John was very humane even 
toward the dumb animals, but if that was 
the reason for his going to where there was 
''much water'' the Bible does not say so, but 
it does say he was baptizing, not preaching, 
because there was much water there, 
and the people came and were baptized. 
Not a word is said to show that any man 
ever watered a camel there. These camels 
it seems did not need any water on other 
journeys; for the same persons who argue 
the "much water" in Aenon for the camels, 
also argue that this same John coukl not 
have baptized by immersion, when all the 
land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, went 
out unto him and were all baptized in the 
river of Jordan [Mark 1:5 J because there 



52 THE GREAT BEBEMPTIOK. 

was not water enoiigh in the Jordan river to 
baptize so many by immersion. Isn^t it 
strange tliat their camels didn't drink there 
like they did at Aenon ? Strange indeed 
that the river that stopped the march of the 
army of Israel (read Joshua 3) nntil the 
Lord had done wonders, as He had done at 
the Red Sea, in dividing the water of the 
river. Strange that this river, at the particu- 
lar time when John was ba]3tizing in it, had 
not water enough for immersion! 

The assumption is false. Let us prove it. 
Joshua 3:15, says: ''Jordan overfloweth all 
his banks all the time of harvest." Harvest 
lasted from the middle of Aj^ril to the middle 
of June. Six months after Christ was bap- 
tized he was at the marriage at Cana, after 
this he went to Capernaum and continued 
there not many days, (John 2:12), and the 
Jewish Passover was then at hand, (John 
2:13.) This Passover began on the 7th of 
April. Counting backward from this date, 
adding the days he was at Capernaum, and 
the six months to the beginning of these 
days, takes it back but a short time after the 
close of harvest time. Add to this the time 
John was baptizing before Christ came to 



BAPTISM. 53 

him, and you will have him baptizing short- 
ly after ''Jordan overfloweth all his banks.'' 

Second. Christ and inspired men went 
into the water and while there performed 
the rite. In the example of the baptism of 
Christ or of that of the eunuch, the circum- 
stances were the same as would have been 
necessary if the baptism was performed by 
immersion. Where is even the shadow of 
an evidence that it was not so performed? 
Oh, you say you see pictured in books, on 
the Catacombs at Rome, Christ standing in 
the water, John on the bank pouring water 
on his head. Even so; has not even the 
devil been belied and pictured with hoofs, 
and horns and wings? But it is all imagina- 
tion. The Bible is as silent on one as on 
the other. 

Third. When inspired men spoke of 
those who were baptized, they referred to 
them as having their bodies washed with 
pure water. It was the heart, not the head, 
that was sprinkled; not with water but from 
an evil conscience. (Heb. 10:22.) 

Fourth. They spoke of them as being 
''buried in baptism," (Col. 2:12), hidden, 
immersed, ])uried in the act of baptism, 



54 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

Fiftli. They spoke of them as being 
"born of water," (John 3:5). No symbol 
short of immersion can literalize this say- 
ing. 

All agree that when Christ presented him- 
self to John for baptism he waded down in. 
to the water. True the narrative does not 
say how deep he waded in, and we confess 
that onr perception is too blunt to see in 
that omission any evidence of sprinkling. 

Naaman once waded into that same stream; 
the narrative does not say how deep he wad- 
ed in. Is there any evidence of sprinkling 
in that omission? Nay, verily, but all 
agree that he baptized, immersed, dipped 
himself seven times. 

The same thing is said of Christ as of 
Naaman only John did the baptizing, the 
the immersing, the dipping of Jesus and it 
does not say just how many times he w^as 
dipped. 

Martin Luther D. D., a great reformer 
and founder of a sect now practicing sprink- 
ling, no doubt looked upon that scene in Jor- 
don quite differently from what his follow- 
ers now do; for he saw in the great examjjle 
an immersion and in teaching on the sub- 



BAPTISM. 55 

ject of baptism lie says, ''Those who are 
baptized should be deeply immersed. (Wil- 
son's History of sprinkling.) 

Those who sprinkle would no doubt, in 
fancy, see the Eunich standing in the pool 
and Philip on the bank pouring water on 
him, if the narrative did not say, ''They 
both went down into the water.'' 

Why all this going to the river, going to 
much water, going down into the water, if 
only a few drops were sufficient to symbol- 
ize the burial? Echo answers, why? 

In no instance recorded in the New Testa- 
ment is there any intimation that baptism 
was performed by any other mode than im- 
mersion. 

Paul was immersed at Damascus by Ana- 
nias, (Acts 22: 16.) At least when he spoke 
of it to the Romans he said, (Chap. 6:4.) 
"We are buried with him by baptism, "and 
to the Collossians[ Chap. 2: 12.] "Buried with 
him in baptism." In the case of the jailer 
and his family there is nothing to intimate a 
sprinkling, but the circumstances were such 
as would have been necessary had it been 
done by immersion. Read the narrative in 
Acts 16: 23-34. After the eartlupiake the 



56 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOIN^. 

Jailer brought Paul and Silas out of the jail. 
Where he took them is not stated, but in all 
probability it was into his private house; 
for they spoke the word of the Lord to him 
in the presence of his household, [v. 32.] 
Again he took them somewhere [y. 33.] 
and washed their stripes, and was baptized 
he and all his, straightway. This baptism 
did not take place in the jail; for he had 
brought them out of that [v. 30,] neither 
in the jailer^s house; for, if they had been in 
his house he had taken them out before the 
baptism; because it is stated [v. 34] that 
after baptism he brought them into his 
house. And the narrative does not state 
that the baptism was in any other house. 
What would have been necessary in this case 
to administer immersion? Just what they 
did exactly to have gone out of the jail to some 
])lace where there was water. This they 
did and when the jailer, and all his, were 
baptized he took them into his house, set 
meat before them and rejoiced, believing in 
God with all his house. 

On the Sabbath day when Lydia and her 
household were baptized, the apostles had 
gone out of the city by a river-side. (Acts 



BAPTISM. 57 

16: 13.) Here again inspired men went to 
the river when baptism was to be adminis- 
tered. 

If the three thousand that were added to 
the Church on the day of Pentecost, were 
all baptized on that day, it is argued that it 
could not have been done by immersion. 
The argument is based upon two suppositions. 
First, That there was not sufficient water in 
and about Jerusalem'to immerse, and second, 
that so many could not have been immersed 
in one day. 

These suppositions are both false. First 
in Deuteronomy 8: 7, we read a description 
of the place, ''For the Lord thy God bring- 
eth thee into a good land, a land of brooks 
of water, of fountains and depths that spring 
out of valleys and hills." Did the Lord de- 
ceive his people in making this promise to 
them? No, the record says it is true. There 
was the Upper Pool, the Old Pool, the up- 
per and lower Gihon, Siloam, Bethsaida, 
the sheep market, Hezekiah, and many 
smaller ones in and near about Jerusalem, 
making in all, water with a surface of about 
ten acres. Tbe disciples had access to all 
this water on the day of Pentecost; for Luke 



58 THE GKEAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

says they were in ''favor with all the people'' 

Acts 2: 47. 

Second. A little calculation will show 
that the three thousand could have been 
baptized on that day without any difficulty. 
The twelve apostles were there, also the 
seventy who had been sent out, making 
eighty -two who were commissioned to bap- 
tize. The other disciples who were there 
may have assisted, but we will count only 
the eighty-two. If Peter began preaching 
at 9 A. M. and continued two hours, or un- 
til 11 A. M., then let them adjourn two 
hours for preparations, or until 1 o'clock, 
they then have five hours in which to do the 
work. Now suppose it took each one five 
minutes (which are four more than necessa- 
ry) to baptize one person, in one hour each 
one would baptize twelve persons. The 
eighty -two would baptize nine hundred and 
eighty-four persons in one hour. How long 
would it take them to baptize three thou- 
sand? As many as nine hundred and 

eighty-four are contained in three thou- 
sand which is a little more than three. 
Hence the work would be completed be- 
tween 4 and 5 o'clock. 



BAPTISM. 59 

Or suppose tlie twelve apostles alone did 
the work. If each apostle baptized one a 
minute, the twelve would have baptized sev 
en hundred and twenty in one hour, and it 
would have taken them four hours and ten 
minutes to baptize three thousand. They 
alone, unaided by any of the disciples could 
have completed the work fifty minutes 
before the close of the Jewish day. 

Is this impossible? If history is true, 
there have been more remarkable instances of 
trine immersion than this. 

It is recorded that Gregory, the apostle of 
the Armenians baptized twelve thousand 
together, by immersion. [''Merchant — ex- 
position on Matt. 3."] 

Chrysostom, assisted by the clergy of his 
church, baptized three thousand by trine 
immersion, April 16, A. D. 404. [''Origin 
Eccles., B. 11.;] 

Wolodines, a Russian Prince, and, it is 
said, twenty thousand of his sul)jects were 
baptized in one day. ["Dr. J. G. King. — 
Rites and ceremonies.''] 

King Clovis, of France, and three tliou- 
sand of his subjects were baptized by trine 
immersion on Christmas Day by Remigius, 



60 THE GKEAT EEDEMPTIOIST. 

Bishop of Rheiins. [''Mezeray, — French 
History, pp. 15."] 

Every lexicographer and scholar of any 
note, together with all the great reformers, 
[including Martin Luther, John Wesley, 
John Calvin and Thomas Chalmers] as well 
as historians and noted authors, who have 
said a w^ord on the subject, give their evi- 
dence in favor of immersion being the apos 
tolic practice in Baptism. 

SECOND.— SPEINKLING AND POUKING. 

Sprinkling and Pouring are substitutes 
for baptism. Now a substitute is not the 
real thing itself, but something used in its 
place. Hence sprinkling or pouring is not 
baptism. 

We shall only give this subject a passing 
notice: for having once established that im- 
mersion was taught by Christ and the apos- 
tles and practiced by the early Christians, it 
follow^s that sprinkling or pouring must be 
an invention of men, and if so it is useless 
to look into the Scripture for any evidence 
in their support. If any one is inclined to 
doubt this let him take up his Bible and if 
lie can make out one case of baptism by 



BAPTISM. 61 

Sprinkling, without having in it an improb- 
able supposition, he will have done more 
than any man has yet done. Or if he will 
find where God or Christ or any inspired 
man ever commanded that water alone be 
sprinkled upon any person or thing as a re- 
ligious rite, he will have found what has es- 
caped the notice of all the millions who 
have searched. 

You will find a text in Isa. 52: 15 sup- 
posed to favor sprinkling, but it does not 
even mention water. It does not say wdth 
what he will sprinkle, or whether he will 
sprinkle the heart, the head, or the body. 
If it is the head, he might do it with dust 
[Job 2: 12]; for people did that in those 
days; but if it refers to the Christian dispen- 
sation, Paul tells us what it is that is 
sprinkled. (Heb. 10: 22) ''Having our 
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.'" 
Bear in mind also that God is to do this 
sprinkling, and there is not even a hint in 
that text, that any servant of his is to 
sprinkle water or anything else. 

INTRODUCTION OF SPRINKLING. 
Sprinkling was made a substitute for bap- 



62 THE GKEAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 

tism, immersion, about tlie beginning of tlie 
third century but tlien only for sick persons. 
It was first sanctioned by an exiled Catbolic 
Pope, Stephen II in 753 A. D., In 1311, 
the council at Ravenna made it legal, but 
it was not practiced in ordinary cases until 
about the middle of the sixteenth century, 
when John Calvin, founder of Presbyterian - 
ism, publicly proclaimed it to be as good 
as immersion, and that the church had a 
right to change to it. 

It was gradually introduced into the 
church. It grew out of the ancient Pagan 
custom of Infant Lustration which was an 
article of Pagan mythology extended not 
only to men and women but to books, fur- 
niture, beds, cattle, gardens, fields, in short 
anything and everything supposed to be li- 
able to contamination w^ith evil. The wa- 
ter used by Pagan priests, carried about and 
sold by them w^as called Holy Water, and 
they declared that by it they could bind the 
devil when he rioted in the wind or in any 
way sought to injure either life or property 
of any sort. 

In Rome the male child was sprinkled 
(lustrated) on the ninth day after its birth; 



BAPTISM. 63 

the female on the eighth day. In Greece 
the infants were sprinkled on the fifth day. 
It was sometimes done at home. Feastg 
were made and the child was named. In 
many respects the occasion and ceremony 
were so nearly like that now common 
among some Christians, that, save for the 
substituting of christian names, the Chris, 
tian rite could scarcely be distinguished 
from it. It found a place and sanction 
among Christians in the following way: 
As the Catholic Church spread out and, by 
conquest and otherwise, gained dominion 
over heathen countries, in order to bring the 
heathens more easily and willingly under 
the Popish yoke, the church from time to 
time granted these subjugated people much 
indulgence in many of their heathen rites, 
permitting them to be practiced as a part of 
their religion. 

Among the rites thus admitted was that 
of Infant L^istration^ which to the pagans 
signified very nearly what they were taught 
that baptism did to the Christian. So sim- 
ilar were the two rites in their nature (how- 
ever not in form) that it was not loug until 
the church, compromising with the pagan 



64 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOK. 

said, ''It is sufficient for baptism.'' By and 
by men began to think that whatever was 
sufficient for baptism loas baptism, and to- 
day many Christians, both Catholic and 
Protestant, go on practicing a rite, very sim- 
ilar to the ancient pagan rite, and call it 
Christian baptism though the Scripture 
gives no inference or shadow of a sanction 
to such a practice. 

The practice was first sanctioned as valid 
baptism for those who were sick and unable 
to be immersed, but finally it was made 
valid for all, both infants and adults either 
sick or well. 

Let it be remembered that the Roman 
Catholic Church and not Jesus Christ is the 
authority you admit and obey when practic- 
ing sprinkling for baptism, and that it had 
its origin in the inexplainable mysteries of 
an ancient pagan mythology. 

THIRD.— THREE ACTIONS IN BAPTISM. 

The authority we have for baptizing is 
found in the great commission Matt. 18: 19, 
'Go ye therefore and teach all nations, bap- 
tizing them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.'' In 



BAPTISM. 65 

obeying this as well as any other command 
of Christ we do it in the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, that is, by the authority he has 
given us. In this sense in a special manner 
does the minister of the Gospel perform 
those rites and ceremonies which affect the 
relationship or office of others. 

Doing an act in the name (by the author- 
ity) of Jesus Christ is altogether different 
from ths result of the act which places the 
recipient into the name of Jesus Christ. 
The apostles did their works of healing by 
this authority (Acts 3: 6.) By this author- 
ity the apostles baptized on the day of Pen- 
tecost, (Acts 2: 38.) Peter said unto 
them, '^Repent and be baptized every one of 
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the re- 
mission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Ghost." His command, that 
they be baptized in the name [])y the au- 
thority] of Jesus Christ , was very signifi- 
cant at that time. There were no doubt 
very many from among the multitudes of 
John's converts who still clung to his bap- 
tism and preferred to baptize by his author- 
ity rather than by that of Jesus Christ. 
Hence Peter not only makes the statemt^it 



66 THE GREAT REDEMPTIO^ST. 

that a baptism by the authority of Jesus 
Christ will effect the remission of sins, but 
adds a promise that they shall also receive 
the Holy Ghost, a thing that was not offered 
nnder John's baptism. 

When we inquire how this baptism is to 
be performed, we find, by the New Testa- 
ment language, the symbolic significance of 
its signs, as a burial, a birth, a washing, etc.; 
and by the instances of apostolic practice, 
that the e\ddences of its being an immersion 
in water are conclusive. 

This is taught in the New^ Testament 
apart from the language of the commission. 
Bnt that the 2^"^' (^ctice might be distinctively 
that of the New Covenant, and that it might 
symbolize the new, threefold relation, viz., 
that of being in the Father, and in the Son, 
and in the Holy Ghost, in which the Chris- 
tian economy places man to God, the mode 
of immersion was given in this last great 
world-evangelizing commission, directly by 
the Master himself. 

From the commission we learn . that there 
are three names into each of which we are 
to baptize. These three names are three 
personalities representing three powers. 



BAPTISM. 67 

which when exercised upon man become to 
him three graces. These three constitute 
the ''one God," God the Fathor, God the 
Son, God the Holy Ghost. A baptism into 
each of these graces bestowed by these dis- 
tinct personalities constitute the ''one bap- 
tism.'' 

To be baptized "into the name of the 
Father" (E. V.) means baptized into the 
Father, which act places the person in the 
Father. 1 Thess. 1: 1. Likewise to be 
baptized into the name ot the Son, places 
the baptized one in the Son. 1 Cor. 1 : 2. 
The same is true of being baptized into the 
name of the Holy Ghost, Rom. 8: 9. 

The baptized believer is in the Father, 
and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost. 

A baptism that places a person into each 
of these separate personalities requires as 
many actions as there are separate persons. 
If there was but one person it would require 
but one act. If there were two perilous it 
would require two acts. There being three 
persons it requires three acts. 

At the baptism of Christ these three per- 
sons of the trinity were distinctly repre- 
sented apart from each other. The Son Avas 



68 THE GREAT BEDEMPTIOK. 

baptized. The Father spoke from heaven. 
The Holy Ghost descended upon the Son. 
That there are three persons constituting 
the one Triune God, there can be no dis- 
pute. In the commission these same three 
powers are equally distinct. It is into the 
blessings, favor, or grace imparted by each 
of these that the believer is baptized. They 
are inseparable in their work of redemption, 
but not so as to destroy the personality of 
the office or work of each as individually 
performed toward man in the work of 
Redemption. 

The work of the Father is that of love, 
bringing to the earth blessings boundless, 
and mercies more than tongue can tell. 
''God so loved the world that He gave His 
only begotten Son.'' The work of the Son 
accomplished in the atonement releases the 
soul from the fetters of sin and provides an 
entrance into the realms of glorified life 
eternal. He died that sinners might live. 
The work of the Holy Spirit is that of il- 
luminating the heart, causing it to appre- 
ciate the love of God and the marvelous 
work of the Son in purchasing our redemp- 
tion. These works are the separate graces 



BAPTISM. 69 

of each of the personalities of the ONE 
GOD. 

To be baptized into the name of the 
Father is to be inducted into the fullness 
and efficacy of the power of the Father ex- 
erted toward man for his redemption. To 
be baptized into the name of the Son is to 
be placed into such relation to his peculiar 
work that the atonement may be made 
available for the salvation of the soul. To 
be baptized into the name of the Holy 
Spirit is to be placed under his guidance so 
that the ''unction from on high" may in- 
fluence the soul and lead it into life ever- 
lasting. 

The one baptism to symbolize the induc- 
tion into each of these separate poweis, re- 
quires in it three immersions. We do not 
have a trine baptism but a trine immersion. 
Baptism is the name by which the rite, com- 
posed of three immersions, is known. 

Baptisma, the Greek noun, is used twenty- 
two times in the New Testament. In the 
English it is rendered baptism. In each 
instance it is the name applied to an act of 
submerging without any reference to how 
many times the action may be repeated. 



70 THE GBEAT REDEMPTIOl^. 

Bapto, from wliicli we get baj)tizo, is 
found three times in the New Testament. It 
is found in Luke 16:24; '^that he may dip 
the tip'', etc; in John 13:26; ''shall give a 
sop when I have dipped it;'' in Rev. 19:13; 
'^a vesture dipped in blood." 

In neither instance is it used in reference 
to Christian baptism, but in each instance 
the action is clearly a single immersion. The 
word is used many times in the Greek trans- 
lation of the Old Testament with the same 
meaning. Now the fact is very significant 
that in the Greek translation of the Old 
Testament where repeated action is intended 
the word baptizo, a form of bapto, is used. 
This occurs but once, and in this instance 
it is clear that the action was to be repeated, 
and directions were given as to the exact 
number of times it was to be repeated. The 
case is that of Naaman dipping himself seven 
times in Jordan. 2 Kings 5:14. 

By this it appears that baptizo, is the form 
of the v/ord used when repeated action is 
intended, and bapto when but one action is 
intended. 

In the New Testament baj)tizo is used 
eighty times, and every time in reference to 



BAPTISM. 71 

Christian baptism. The conclusion is there- 
fore drawn from the fact that this frequenta- 
tive form of the word is used in reference to 
immersion when in performing a rite, the 
act of immersion was to be repeated. This 
being true, it follows (since every reference 
to Christian baptism in the New Testament 
uses the frequentative form when the word 
is used at all) that Christian baptism re- 
quires more than a single immersion. 

The word ''baptizo'' (baptize) does not 
imply how many times the action is to be 
repeated. Naaman needed to be told the 
number of times he was to repeat the act. 

We go to the commission to determine the 
number of times the act must be repeated 
in performing Christian baptism. Jesus 
says that we shall baptize (immerse) them 
''into the name of the Father" — that is one; 
''and of the Son" — that is another; "and of 
the Holy Ghost" — that is another, making 
in all three immersions in completing, ac- 
cording to the formula, the "one baptism." 

It does not require any imagination or 
super-common reasoning powers to grasp the 
idea of three immersions, constituting one 
baptism. Ex. The bread and cup consti- 



72 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOIST. 

tiite but one communion yet it is administer- 
ed in two acts. 

A grammatical analysis of the formula, 
supplying tlie elli23tical omissions, mil clear- 
ly set forth that three actions are required 
to carry out the command it gives. 

Suppose I place on a tray before you 
three cu23S of paint, red, yellow, and green. 
I want my pencil painted with the paint in 
each of those cups and I say to you, Dijj 
the pencil into the cup of the reel pciint^ and 
of the yellow painty and of the green paint. 
How will you do it ? 

You may take your own opinion and say, 
because I want my pencil painted only once, 
but with an application of each of the there 
kinds of paint, 3^ou will just mix them all 
together in one cup and dip the j)encil once 
into that. True, that is the way to paint 
a pencil, but you will admit it is not the 
way I told you to do it. Here is a parallel. 
God in the plan of redemption, by the words 
of His Son, has set before us the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost. Sinful men are 

in the world God wants you to baptize 

them and He says to you,- in the words of 
the formula, haptize them into tlie name of 



BAPTISM. 73 

tlie Father^ and of the Son^ and of the 
Holy Ghost, How will you do it ? 

You may take your own opinion, and say, 
because there is to be but one baptism, but 
into the graces of all of them, you will take 
them all together as one and immerse into 
them once. This may satisfy your opinion, 
but it is not the way God told you to do it. 

God's grace to man, which is in form a 
government, is in three branches: First, the 
Father is the Supreme Head and Law- Maker. 
I Cor. 11: 3; John 14: 24. 

Second, the Son is the Law -giver. Re- 
deemer, Savior. Matt. 1:21; Gal. 3:13; 4:5. 

Third, the Holy Ghost is the Reprover, 
comforter. Witness, and Seal. John 16:7-11; 
Acts 5: 32; Eph. 4: 30. 

He who enters into the Covenant mth 
God is ba^zed into each of these three, and 
thereby takes upon himself a relationship 
with each, according to their respective of- 
fices. The act of entering into the three 
branches of the one government is the "one 
baptism'' performed by three immersions. 

History says that single immersion was in- 
troduced by Eunomius in the fourth century. 
The very fact that very many historians 



74 THE GREAT KEDEMPTION. 

speak of a change having been made at var- 
ious times and places, and single immersion 
introduced is evidence that it v^as not the 
primitive practice. 

On the other hand no such history is re- 
corded concerning any change having been 
made from any other mode to trine immer- 
sion, and since the vast majority of immer- 
sionists, even to this day, practice trine im- 
mersion, where did they get it if no change 
was made to it, from any other mode ? 
When a principle or a practice of any in- 
stitution has been as long standing as the 
institution itself, historians seldom piake 
special mention of that principle or practice 
until it is violated, and even then they elab- 
orate more upon the change than upon the 
principle itself. This is verified by the 
practice of the most noted historians of the 
present and past ages. 

If we contradict the voice of historians in 
the matter of baptism, then must we lay 
down our confidence in them, in all other 
matters of religion as well as civil legisla- 
tion and practice, and declare the record to 
be a myth. This we cannot do. 

When the Sacred Scriptures teach a truth, 



BAPTISM. T5 

and the learned of all ages agree that they 
teach it, and when history repeatedly 
records that men at various times perverted 
this truth, and introduced other modes of 
wgrship, what more evidence does any one 
want to corroborate the everlasting truth 
that the door into the church of God is a 
baptism in three immersions. Verily, ''if 
sufficient proof is not enough more will not 
suffice.'' 

FOURTH.— BOWING IN BAPTISM. 

The essential in every symbol is its like- 
ness to the thing it represents. 

The mode of baptism to represent a burial, 
a birth, a washing, is without doubt, immer- 
sion. Paul refers to it also as a planting, 
(Rom. 6:5), ''Planted together in the like- 
ness of his death.'' This is the key to the 
posture in baptism. ''Planted in the like- 
ness of his death,'' signifies baptized in the 
likeness of his death. No reference is made 
in this to the number of the actions, but 
alone to the posture while the acts are being 
performed. For an act to be performed like 
another act does not necessitate its beinj? 
performed the same number of times. For 



76 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 

example, the clock strikes the hour of ten. 
It strikes ten times. The action is the same 
as when it struck the hour of one. Christ 
died but once and performed the significant 
act but one time. 

But this is no argument in favor of only- 
one immersion in baptism; for the likeness 
is not in the numher of actions, but in the 
manner or mode of action. 

It will be noticed that the apostle makes 
no comparison, and points out no similarity 
between the mode of action in our baptismal 
burial and that of the burial of Christ. 
'^Buried with him in baptism,'^ ''Buried with 
him by baptism,'' are direct allusions to the 
mode of baptism, by immersion, because 
that mode is a burial. The expressions are 
neither similes nor metaphors. They do not 
express literal baptism as being like any- 
thing else, or as being anything which it 
literally is not. 

These burials are alike in that they are 
both burials, though Christ's was in a tomb 
and ours in water. They are alike in that 
both are the result of a death, though that 
of Christ was a physical death while that of 
ours is spiritual. Christ's burial was the 



BAPTISM. 77 

result of his physical death; the spirit had 
parted from the body and in a literal sense 
he had died to the world. 

Our burial, in water, is the result of a 
spiritual death to the evil propensities of 
this life. We have died to sin. (Rom. 6:2). 
Paul says, (Rom. 6:3), '^Know ye not that 
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
Christ (into the Son) were baptized into his 
death.*" When Christ was crucified he pass- 
ed into a state of death or inacti^dty with 
reference to the sphere m which he former- 
ly moved, and was buried in the sepulcher 
as a result of this death. 

Our old man (carnal propensities,) is 
crucified that the body of sin might be de- 
stroyed, [v 6], that is, as was the body of 
Christ in which he formerly had his being, 
put into a state of death, so is the body of 
sin, in which we formerly had our spiritual 
being, put into a state of death, or inactivity 
with reference to the former state in which 
we moved, and we are buried in baptism as 
a result of this death . 

From this state of death into which Christ 
had been put, he was raised up "by the 
glory of the Father,'' [v 4], and placed into 



78 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

a condition of life everlasting, [v 9]. 

''Like as Christ was raised np'' (verse 4), 
that is from a state of death nnto a new 
state of life, ''even so we also should walk 
in newness of life." As Christ came forth 
from the tomb, and walked in a new and 
glorified sphere, so we coming forth from 
our baptismal burial, wherein we were in 
a state of death, we pass from death unto 
life. Paul says, "if we have been planted 
together in the likeness of his death, we 
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrec- 
tion.'' 

Now it must be remembered that an act 
is not similar to a condition, and that a fig- 
ure of speech cannot be constructed with an 
action for one member of the comparison, 
and a condition for the other. It will be 
noticed that in the comparisons which we 
have pointed out, they each have either ac- 
tions or conditions for both members of the 
comjDarison . 

In the above scripture, Paul speaks of a 
planting, which is something done, an action 
performed. He says it is done, the action is 
performed, in the likeness of Christ's death. 
To be done in the likeness of anything con- 



BAPTISM. ^79 

nectecl with liis death, it must have been in 
likeness to the acts performed by him in his 
death. Not in his being nailed to the cross; 
for he did not do that. Not in his side be- 
ing pierced; for he did not do that. Not in 
tasting the vinegar; for that was imposed 
upon him by others. 

We look to the narrative to see what he 
did. John 19: 30, '^He bowed his head and 
gave up the Ghost.'' These are the aciions 
performed in his death. ''We are planted," 
that is, the actions are performed, in the 
likeness of these acts in his death. 

There were two acts performed by. him 
in his death. One literal, the other spirit- 
ual. 

First. The literal, ''He bowed his head.'' 

Second. The spiritual, "He gave up the 
Ghost." The planting referred to is not 
these acts, but it is to be performed like 
these acts were performed. 

The planting is the baptism, or the im- 
mersing into water; 

First. He bowed his head when he went 
into death. We are baptized into a simihir 
death (Rom. G: 3.) We bow our heads in 
the act of immersion, going into death in the 



80 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIO]^". 

likeness of Clirist's bodily act wlien lie went 
into deatli. 

Second. He gave up the Gliost. That 
is, he parted with life, the thing that iden- 
tified him with the condition in which he 
had existed. We do a similar spiritual act; 
we part with our allegiance to that which 
identified us with the carnal things of the 
former condition of our existence. 

But you say Christ bowed his head l)ut 
once, and passed into but one death. True, 
and he gave up the Ghost but once. So we 
bow but once and pas^ into death relative 
to Satan as our supreme head, severing alle- 
giance to his authority; we rise fi^om this 
one act done in the likeness of Christ's 
death, which signified death to the domin- 
ion of Satan, to walk in a new life in the 
Father. 1 Thess. 1: 1. 

So we bow but once in the act of death to 
all service to Satan, renouncing the author- 
ity of his mandates; from this act we rise, 
being in the Son. 1 Cor. 1 : 2. 

So we bow but once in the act of our 
death to the spirit of e\T.l, severing the soul 
from its influence, we rise from that act to 
walk in the fulness of the Godhead, which 



BAPTISM. 81 

fulness was manifested, bodily in Christ, for 
our instruction. We are now in the Holy 
Ghost. Rom.. 8: 9. 

The scriptures do not teach that we are 
buried in baptism like Christ was huried in 
the tomb; but buried with him, that is, 
Christ was buried and we are buried. The 
only likeness is, that they both are burials. 

But this likeness does not imply that the 
action in performing these burials must be 
similar. The fact that two persons occupy 
like states or positions is not proof that they 
entered into the positions in the same way. 
For example, you and I may be in the same 
city, but we may have entered by quite dif- 
ferent methods. You may have ridden,sitting 
in a carriage; I may have walked. 

Two persons may be buried in quite dif- 
ferent postures. One may be laid on his 
back, the other may be placed in a kneeling 
posture; yet both are buried. The fact that 
Christ in his burial, was laid on his back, in 
the tomb, does not at all imply that yve 
must be laid on our backs in the water in 
which we are buried in baptism; for tlie 
scripture does not teach any such likeness. 

There is no law, but that of custom, reg- 



82 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

ulating in what posture a person shall be 
buried. But suppose tlie law of our coun- 
try said that when a person dies he shall be 
buried in the likeness of the posture in 
which he died. Then we would have a rule 
to follow, and persons would be buried in 
very different postures. Now the divine law 
concerning baptism has such a rule. It is 
pointed out by the apostle Paul; he speaks 
of the burial in baptism as a planting, and 
says that it is done in the likeness of Christ's 
death. How did he die ? Turn to the rec- 
ord in Jobn 19: 30 and read: ''and he bowed 
his head and gave up the Ghost.'' 

This is the di^dne arrangement for our 
baptismal burial, and Paul says (Rom. 6:5) 
if it has been done in this way, ''if we have 
been planted in the likeness of his death, we 
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrec- 
tion." Paul makes the likeness an essential 
to obtaining the very desirable likeness that 
is to follow, namely, the resurrected state. 

If, then, in our baptism we bow in like- 
ness of his boAving in death, and have given 
up our former life of sin, we may obtain this 
resurrected likeness with him. It should be 
noticed that no likeness is expressed in the 



BAPTISM. 83 

act of our coming from our burial in bap- 
tism, and in the act of Clirist coming from 
the tomb. The likeness is in the state into 
which we have entered, and not in the act of 
entering. 

It is argued that in the same manner in 
which Christ arose from the tomb, we should 
arise from baptism. But no such inference 
is warranted by the scriptures. 

The inference is based upon the supposi- 
tion that Christ arose face forward from his 
supine position in the tomb and went for- 
ward into the resurrected state. That he 
went face forward from the tomb, just as 
one walks from the water after baptism, is 
altogether worthy of belief. But the sup- 
posed mode of his rising to a standing pos- 
ture is altogether doubtful. 

Would it not be more in keeping with the 
general practice of men in rising from a re- 
clining position, to suppose that he rose sim- 
ilar to one who rises from a kneeling pos- 
ture. Is not that a position generally taken 
by any one in rising from a supine posture ? 
Most assuredly, a few observations will con- 
vince you. 

If the inference can be drawn from the 



84 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOlsr. 

scri23tiire that our rising from baptism 
should be in the likeness of Christ's rising 
and coming from the tomb, it is very clear 
that that rising is, in all essential points, 
minutely reenacted by the j)erson who rises 
from a baptism in which he bowed in a 
kneeling posture. But we repeat that the 
scri]3ture does not warrant an adherence to 
any likeness in the mode of Christ's rising. 

The bodily action in baptism is one of 
deep humility, expressive of entering into a 
death to the pride and vanity of life, which 
we hide in the burial of baptism, having the 
promise that we may arise, being in the Fa- 
ther, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, 
walking in a new life. 

Ordinances of the New Testament are 
forms of worship. Baptism being an ordi- 
nance it is therefore a form of worshij). If 
we look into the scripture we will find that 
no act of worship was ever rendered to God, 
by insj)ired men, by falling upon their 
backs. But on the other hand, the univer- 
sal practice has been that of bowing. The 
Psalmist said, "O come let us worship and 
bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our 
Maker. Ps. 95: 6. 



BAPTISM. 85 

Paul to the Philippians said, ^'At the 
name of Jesus every knee shall bow." Phil. 
2: 10. 

We need only to refer to Abraham, Gen. 
18: 2; Jacob, Gen. 33: 3; Israel, Ex. 4: 31; 
Daniel, 6: 10; Peter, Acts 9: 40; Stephen, 
Acts 7: 60; Paul and the elders from Ephe- 
sus kneeled on the seashore and prayed. 
Acts 20: 36; and the Master himself on the 
Mount of Olives, Luke 22: 41; for e^ddence 
that the practice was that of bowing. 

There are instances of falling backward 
recorded in the Bible, but they are not such 
as we desire to imitate. For example, the 
soldiers who came out to take Christ, went 
backward and fell to the ground. John 18:6. 

Another instance is that of Eli, a man 
who had been judge in Israel forty years. 
He fell backward and the result was fatal — 
he broke his neck. 1 Sam. 4: 18. 



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HISTORICAL QUOTATIONS. 



Jesus Christ. We place the words of 
Jesus at the head of this list of Quotations, 
because in them we have the original au- 
thority. ^^ Baptizing them into the name of 
the Father^ and of the Son^ and of the Holy 
Ghosty—K^ti, 28: 19. 

This is the only baptism that Jesus ever 
taught and His disciples were taught to ob- 
serve it and also to teach it to every creat- 
ure in all the world. JoiiiN^, an apostle of 
Christ, undoubtedly received this teaching 
and imparted it to others. Polycarp, a pu- 
pil under the instruction of John, received 
this baptism and practiced it throughout his 
long and useful career as Bishop of the 
church of Smyrna, remaining faithful until 
released from earth by his martyrdom, 166 
A. D. 

JusTm Martyr, (b.lOO; d.l65.) ^'Then 
we bring them to a place where there is wa- 
ter and they are baptized by the same mode 
of baptism by which we were baptized; for 



88 THE GREAT REDEMPTIO]^. 

they are washed in the water in the name of 
God the Father, Lord of all things; and of 
the Savior Jesus Christ; and of the Holy 
Spirit.''' — Justin Martyr^ Apology II, Sec- 
tion 79. 

Clement, (b. 150, d. 220.) ''Ye were 
conducted to the bath just as Christ was car- 
ried to the grave and were thrice immersed 
to signify the three days of Christ's burial." 
— Wiberg on Baptism^ p. 228. 

Tertulliai^, (b. 160, d. 220.) ^'For we 
are immersed not once but thrice, at the 
naming of every person of the Trinity." — 
DeBajyt^ chap. 1. 

Modulus, (b. 200, d. 260.) ''The true 
doctrine of our holy mother, the General 
Church, hath always, my brethren, been 
with us, and doth yet abide with us, especi- 
ally in the doctrine of Baptism and the trine 
immersion wherewith it is celebrated." — 
Worlcs of Cyprian^ Part I, p. 240. 

CYRiL,(b. 315, d. 386.) "You made the 
saving confession and descended thrice into 
the water." — Catecli^ F, My stag 11^ n. 1. iv. 

Jerome, (b. 331, d. 420.) "We are thrice 
dipped in water." — On Eph, 4:5-6. 

Chrysostom, [b. 347, d. 407.] "Christ 



BAPTISM. 89 

delivered to his disciples one baptism in three 
immersions.'' — Quinter & McConnell^ p. 28. 

St. Augusti]>^e, [b.JSFov. 13, 354, d. 430.] 
''For rightly we are thrice dipped who have 
received baptism in the name of the Trinity.*" 

Theodoret, [b. 373, d. 458.] ''He, Eu- 
nomius, subverted the law of holy baptism, 
asserting that it is not necessary to immerse 
the candidate for baptism thrice, nor to men- 
tion the names of the Trinity, but to im- 
merse once only into the death of Christ,'' 
— Quoted hy Chrystal. 

The Didache, written probably by Bis- 
hop Simon as early as 70 or 80 A. D. 

1. "Now concerning baptism, baptize thus; 
having taught all these things,baptize ye into 
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost in living water." 

2. "And if thou has not living water,bap- 
tize into other water, and if thou canst not 
ill cold, then in warm. 

3. "But if thou hast neither, pour[ water] 
thrice upon the head in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." — Didaclie^ ch. 7, vs. 1-3. 

Apostolic Cakot^s, written about the 
year, 200 A. D. If any Bishop or Presbyter 



90 THE GKEAT REDEMPTION 

do not perform three immersions of one ini- 
tiation, but one immersion wliicli is given 
into tlie death of Christ, let him be deposed; 
for the Lord did not say 'Baptize into my 
death,' but, 'Go ye, and make disciples of all 
nations, baptizing them into the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. Do ye, therefore, O Bishops, im- 
merse thrice into one Father, and Son, and 
Holy Ghost, according to the will of Christ 
by the Spirit." Quinter and MoConnell^ 
p. 114. 






.^ PART II. k^ 

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. 



'^That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you^ 
that ye also may have fellowship with us ; and truly 
our fellowship is with the Father^ and with His Son 
Jesus Christ'' — 1st John 1 :3, 



CHAPTER I.— WASHING THE 
SAINT'S FEET. 

"Ye call me Master, Lord, 
'Tis well; for so I am. 
In washing one another's feet 
Ye do as I have done to you." 
—John 13:13, 14. 

TN all tlie Lord's appointed ways we walk 
^ by precepts and examples. We are tra- 
veling on our heavenly pilgrimage. The 
path lies through this wilderness of sin, 
wherein oft-times the serpent's hiss is heard 
while seeking to sink its venomed fangs 
deep into the soul's vitality. Rocks are 



WASHING THE SAIIsTTs' FEET. 93 

protruding by tlie uneven way and thorns 
encompass us on every side. But walking 
in fellowship with kindred spirits and with 
Him who has triumphed over all these diffi- 
culties, there is found the needed protection 
and support. In ''observing all things/' the 
promise is, "I am with you always, even 
unto the end of the World.''— Matt. 18:20. 

The ordinances by which this fellowship 
is symbolized, are highly significant, each 
for its special purpose and in its proper 
place. 

Passing up the line of duties, each of 
which stands for our acceptance as a special 
privilege, the believer who has also become 
a doer^ finds himself in the midst of certain 
spiritual wants. Significant of their being 
supplied and aiding in the same, are the or- 
dinances of the house of God. 

Having performed the initiatory ordinance 
of baptism, symbolizing the washing of re- 
generation, the spiritual cleansing, the be- 
liever has entered into fellowship with 
Christ and his people, and is upon his hea- 
venly pilgrimage. Such persons the Master 
addressed when he said, ''He that is washed, 
(baptized, cleansed with the washing of 



94 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 

water by the word, Eph. 5:26), needett not 
save (except) to wash Ms feet." John 13:10. 

This latter requirement, like the former, 
was one of the many common things Christ 
chose from the customs of the. people with 
which to represent and perpetuate a spirit- 
ual truth. The washing of the body with 
water at the beginning of the Christian's 
pilgrimage, was easily understood by the 
Jews; for they often bathed their bodies for 
sanitary purposes, and, when they were 
taught, they could readily understand how 
this represented a spiritual cleansing. So 
in the latter ordinance, that of feetwashing; 
for, when they had bathed and cleansed their 
bodies in the pool, they walked from the 
pool to their homes. On the way their feet 
became unclean by contact with the dust, 
and to be wholly clean they must now wash 
them. How significant the language of 
Christ, ''he that is washed needeth not save 
to wash his feet." The pilgrim going from 
his baptismal washing to his heavenly home 
passes through this wilderness of sin, and 
comes in contact with the pollutions of its 
sins. 

Christ comes to the rescue and with this 



WASHIKG THE SAIIN^t's FEET. 95 

ordinance symbolizes the washing away of 
tiiese minor evils. '^We have an advocate 
with the Father." 

We may call this the ''neglected ordi- 
nance," since such a large portion of the 
Christian world has set it aside as one of the 
non-essentials of the teachings of Christ. 

Paul refers to the Christian life as a race, 
and sets before us that, in the running of 
which, there is a sin ''which doth so easily 
beset us." (Heb. 12: 1.) 

We know of nothing more agreeable to 
the one who desires to shirk from a menial 
service than an excuse based upon the plea 
that it is not essential. The desire to es- 
cape a humiliating service "doth easily be- 
set us." 

Paul says "it is a sin and we should lay it 
aside and run with patience the race set be- 
fore us, looking unto Jesus the author and 
finisher of our faith." (Heb. 12: 2,) 

All are agreed that Christ is the author of 
our faith, and all are willing to accept him 
in all things as the rightful one to whom to 
look as the author of faith, but we differ 
when it comes to allowing him to be the 
finisher. 



96 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

You believe that Christ says to the disci- 
ples ''ye ought to wash one another's feet/' 
(John 13: 14.) You believe you are one of 
his disciples. Christ is the author of your 
faith, you have accepted him, you know his 
sayings and this is one of them. Now go a 
step farther for you want to be happy, and 
let him finish your faith. He says (v 17) 
''If ye know these things" (and you do) 
"happy are ye if ye do them." But some 
one says "feet washing" as a church ordi- 
nance is not essential because it was only an 
ancient custom. 

"It belongs to the entertaining of strang- 
ers and it should be done in our homes." 

Yes this is the way your faith, of which 
Christ is the author, is finished. Who fin- 
ished it that way, Christ or your opinion ? 
Certainly it was your opinion, for Christ 
says nothing about "ancient custom" "enter- 
taining strangers" or that "it should be 
done in our homes." 

Now opinion is a dangerous thing mth 
which to finish faith. It is robbing Chris 
of his rightful authority and making our 
judgment of more effect than his command. 

Naaman tried that when Elisha sent a 



WASHIKa THE SAINt's FEET. 97 

messenger and told him to go and wash 
himself seven times in Jordan and he would 
be healed of his leprosy; he got mad and 
gave vent to his opinion and said, ''Behold 
I thought," etc. — see, his opinion troubled 
him, — ''are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers 
of Damascus better than all the waters of 
Israel?'' 

The author of his faith was in the pro- 
phet but he wanted to finish it himself. 
He found the cure, however, in letting the 
prophet be the finisher. (2 Kings 5.) 

Another example is that of Saul when he 
was sent to slay the Amalekites. (1 Sam. 
15: 3.) The command was, "slay all of 
them both man and beast;" but while he 
was doing it, he saw some fine cattle and 
some fine sheep, and he conceived the idea 
— his opinion against God's command — of 
sparing them to take home and offer a sac- 
rifice to God with them. 

A good intention it was indeed, but God's 
command was violated, and Saul suffered the 
penalty for his opinion. "Because thou hast 
rejected the word of the Lord, He has re- 
jected thee from being king." (v. 23.) 

But has not every one a right to his opin- 



98 THE GEEAT REDEMPTIOJ^. 

ion ? Yes, but you have no right to ask 
another to agree with y ou or to act upon it 
in opposition to God's command. When 
you say a thing is your opinion, you admit 
that you have no proof, for when you have 
the proof for anything,theie is no longer any 
room for an opinion; the thing is then a 
fact in real existence. 

Saul was not punished for his opinion, 
but for making it the criterion, governing 
his actions. 

By faith Christ has us as clay in the 
hands of the potter, to finish our character 
and conduct. 

If the feetwashing that Christ engaged in 
with his disciples w^as only the result of an 
ancient custom, Peter was very ignorant of 
that custom, for Christ said to him, ''What 
I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt 
know hereafter.'' (John 13: 7.) It is not at 
all probable that a custom so prevalent 
would be entirely a new thing to one of the 
experience of Peter. 

It is argued further by those who have re- 
jected it as a Christian rite, that it was a 
custom prevalent among the early Christians 
and others of that time, because they made 



WASHIIS^a THE saint's FEET. 99 

long journeys on foot ^ weai'ing sandals. But 
those same persons in arguing for a certain 
rite which they call Baj)tism, will tell you 
that ''John was baptizing in Aenon near to 
Salem because there was much water there," 
(John 3: 23.) to accommodate the camels 
and dromedaries on which tlie jr^eople rode 
in their journey to where John was preach- 
ing. Thus they change their opinion on the 
mode of travel to suit the case in question, 
"so easily doth the sin beset." 

Another says, Christ only taught a lesson 
of humility, and since we know the lesson 
we need not engage any longer in the prac- 
tice to establish the principle. But this 
again is all opinion. No inspired man has 
ever said so. But suppose they did and it 
is intended to teach the principle of an hum- 
ble equality among brethren. How well 
have the various denominations learned the 
lesson? 

In many of the churches, especially in the 
cities, where it is neglected, we find them 
divided in classes. There is the poor man's 
church, another for the middle, and another 
for the upper class, all of the same denom- 
ination. What has become of the principle 



100 THE GEEAT REDEMPTION. 

of humble equality among those brethren? 

Again, does not the mathematician solve 
his problems over and over that he may con- 
tinue to have the principle established ? Or 
what father does not continue to exercise his 
son in lessons of obedience, though he has 
learned them long ago ? 

Another says, it is not a church ordinance 
because it was given to the disciples before 
the day of Pentecost. 

By the same argument, then, we will set 
aside as non-essential the Communion and 
the Lord^s Supper, because they were insti- 
tuted in the same night. So also is all the 
teaching of Christ. But they tell us, that 
when the Holy Ghost was given He brought 
to the memory of the disciples all those 
things that Christ desired them to do and 
teach, and no one but John mentioned this 
feetwashing. 

They thus make the teaching of Christ of 
no effect, unless it was sanctioned by the 
apostles after the day of Pentecost, but Paul 
(Heb. 12: 2) says we should look to Christ 
''the author and finisher of our faith.'' But 
if it be necessary that the apostles should 
sanction a command or example of Christ in 



WASHING THE SAIISTt's FEET. 101 

order to make it binding upon us we have 
the testimony of Paul on this subject. 

In writing to Timothy (1 Tim. 5: 9-10) 
concerning a certain widow who was to be 
admitted into the charity of the church, he 
lays down the requirements upon which she 
may be admitted,among them are these: ''If 
she have lodged strangers;^' ''If she have 
washed the saints' feet." Here it is plainly 
seen that the feetwashing referred to is not 
a part of entertaining strangers. 

If custom made it the duty of any one, in 
entertaining strangers, to provide water and 
wash their feet, certainly that is included in 
"if she have lodged strangers;'' but this was 
not enough, she was not only to have enter- 
tained strangers in the ordinary way, gi^^ng 
them shelter and food and water for their 
feet, but she was to have washed the samfs 
feet, an entirely different thing. 

This expression of Paul's is incontroverti- 
ble evidence that the early Christians had 
among them the practice of feet washing. 

That it is so seldom referred to in the 
epistolary writings, is only stronger evidence 
that it prevailed throughout the churches so 
inviolate, that there was no occasion for the 



102 THE GREAT KEDEMPTIOlSr. 

apostles to urge its continuance or criticise 
its abuse. 

There may liave been some individuals 
who, like Peter, said, ''Thou shalt never 
wash my feet," (John 13: 8) but Jesus said 
to him, ''If I wash thee not, thou hast no 
part with me.'' So likewise the church in 
Paul's time made it a requirement to good 
standing in the church, as shown in the case 
of the widow. 

We have now discussed the subject defen- 
sively, we have done so that the fallacy of 
every objection may be seen before entering 
upon the arguments drawn from the teach- 
ing of Christ and the apostles. 

Eead the thirteenth chapter of John to 
the end of the seventeenth verse, and you 
will have the narrative of its institution as 
recorded by one who witnessed it. 

Every child of God rejoices in every 
means that Christ has employed to aid him 
in securing the benefits of the Great Re- 
demption. 

The first reason we will offer that it 
should be practiced in all the churches is, 
that Christ gave in connection with this in- 
stitution all the essentials to establishing it 



WASHING THE SAINt's FEET. 103 

as a religions ordinance. 

First, the example^ second, the command) 
third, \he 2^enalty for disobedience; fonrth, 
\he promise to those who* obeyed. More 
than this cannot be said of any other ordi- 
nance. The example alone is sufficient evi- 
dence that it was intended as a religious rite. 

The circumstances attending it are suffi- 
cient to disqualify the supposition that it 
was practiced in keeping with the ancient 
custom, for some of them who engaged had 
not been on a journey but had been in the 
place during the preceding day. They had 
not come to the place to lodge during the 
night, for after they had washed feet, eaten 
the supper, broken the bread of communion 
and sung a hymn, they went out unto the 
Mount of Olives. Nothing in it similar to 
the ancient custom and that is why Peter did 
not understand it. 

But even if it had been an ancient custom, 
that aifords no excuse for not observing it 
now, since Christ has given in addition to 
the example, the command, ''If I then your 
Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye 
also ought to wash one another's feet, for I 
have given you an example that ye should 



104 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS^ 

do as I have done to you/' If because tlie 
inspired writers, all except John and Paul, 
are silent on this, is to be taken as e^ddence 
that they did not* practice it, then they never 
heeded this command, or did what Christ 
said they ought to do. 

We cannot charge them with such negli- 
gence, but from Paul's writing to Timothy 
concerning the widow, it is sure that they 
did remember and observe it. 

Again they did not obey the great com- 
mission, (Mat. 28:19-20), if in their evan- 
gelistic work they failed to teach this doc- 
trine, for in that commission Christ said to 
them, ''Go ye therefore and teach all nations 
baptizing them, etc., teaching them to ob- 
serve all things, whatsoever I have com- 
manded you." It cannot therefore be ar- 
gued that this command to wash feet was 
given for the apostles only to observe, for 
He says they shall ''teach all nations to ob- 
serve all things that they were commanded 
to observe.'' 

This being one of the things they were 
commanded to do, all nations who are made 
discij)les are commanded to do the same 
thing. 



wASHiisra THE saijstt's feet. 105 

Another dodge that some, ^'whom the sin 
doth easily beset/' resort to is this: They 
sav it is not a command, for Christ did not 
say, ye must do it, but their objection only 
shows that they do not understand the Eng- 
lish language, and have no knowledge what- 
ever of the original from which the word 
ought is translated; the word is opliiletete 

from the root opliilo^ which signifies, one 
hound. Martin Luther translated it with 
the German solt which in English is must. 
Ought is everywhere defined as signifying 
an obligation to perform, as, for example, 
every man ought to pay his debts, and if he 
can, he should do so. Should is the past 
potential of shall, denoting necessity. Hence 
Christ has said, ''it is necessary that ye do 
as I have done to you.'' — John 13:15. 

But why quibble about the manner of the 
expression. It is evident that Christ de- 
sired his disciples to do the thing for which 
he had set them an example. Is it not 
enough for us to know his will, or must we 
like dumb driven cattle, be scourged into 
doing his will ? 

That it is very necessary for the disciples 
to submit to the rite we learn from the Mas- 



106 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS'. 

ter's language to Peter, ''If I wash thee not, 
thou hast no part with me.'' 

The ban of excommunication was about 
to be pronounced when Peter yielded, and 
from the explanation that followed his 
speech we learn still more about the rite. 
Peter now wanted a thorough cleansing, not 
only his feet but his hands and his head, but 
Christ said, ''He that is washed, (bathed in 
baptism, from lano to bathe the whole 
body), needeth not save (except) to wash, 
(nipsasthai, from ni2yto to wash a part of 
the body), his feet." 

Here we learn that it is the baptized be- 
liever and not the stranger who may enter 
your house that needs to engage in this wash- 
ing. Feet washing belongs to the "all 
things" that Jesus said the Holy Ghost 
would bring to their remembrance. John 
14:26. Jesus said, John 13:17, "If ye know 
these things, happy are ye if ye do them." 
Throughout his Word the promises are based 
upon the knowing and doing his will. [Mat. 
7:21, Luke 6:47, James 1:22.] 

In this particular instance the promise is 
happiness, the condition, if we know the 
thing and do it. Happiness is a pleasing 



wASHiisra THE SxVikt's feet. 107 

state of mental excitement stimulated by 
bodily exercise or by anticipation of a 
future good. In either case the cause is a 
present stimulus. No one enjoys the ful- 
ness of pleasure by simply knowing the con- 
dition by which it is obtained. If the inva- 
lid knows that a certain kind of exercise 
will benefit his health and bring him pleas- 
ure, he may be some the happier by having 
discovered that knowledge, but unless he 
engages in the exercise, his happiness will 
soon vanish. 

Though we may know the object of the 
example of Christ, and it may awaken a 
degree of happiness, yet it is only in antic- 
ipation of the real, and unless we engage in 
that which brings the real, our happiness 
will soon vanish. 

We may say we are happy in Christ with- 
out obeying his commands, but how do we 
know we are ? We may deceive ourselves. 
Jas. 1: 22. 

It is like when the infidel says, ''I know 
that I know God, for I have read His Word 
and am familiar with all his doctrines." 
But the infidel deceives himself, for John 
in his first epistle, chapter two, verse three, 



108 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOI^. 

says, ''We know tliat we know him if we 
keep his commandments.'' 

Christ says, we are happy if we do his 
sayings. The only evidence that any one 
can have that he is a Christian is, that he 
.has followed Christ. The only proof that a 
Christian can have that his happiness is gen- 
uine is, that he has done the thing by virtue 
of which Christ says he is happy. What- 
ever, then, may have been the design of the 
Master in this humble act, we will follow 
him, for ''He doeth all things well," and 
trust with an unfaltering faith in His Word 
that we may have a part in the Great Re- 
demption, and at last go up to eternity's 
threshold saying, "Master, we have done 
thy will." 



CHAPTER II.— THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



A Brotherhood of Christians constitutes 
"^^-^ the Church of God, and each individu. 
al member, by whatever name he may be 
known, is a child of God having been re- 
deemed through the merits of the great 
atonement. To be a member of this Broth- 
erhood, requires that we be a brother to 
every other member and to Christ. Indi\dd- 
uals are made Brothers by reason of a spirit- 
ual acquiescence in the same thing. To be 
a member of the Brotherhood of Christ re- 
quires that we be a brother of Christ. To 
be this, Christ says, ''He that doeth the will 
of my Father in Heaven, the same is my 
brother." And when we inquire. What is 
this will? Christ says, "I came to do my 
Father's will.'' No one will doubt but that 
the things he did and authorized us to do, 
either directly or by the inspired writers, 
either by precept or example, constitute that 



110 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOK. 

will whicli it is our bounden duty to do, if 
we would be a brother to Christ and a joint 
heir with him to immortal glory. Jesus 
says [John 13: 35] ''By this shall all men 
know that ye are my disciples if ye have 
love one to another." 

James and Jude both speak of certain feasts 
that were common in their time, which they 
call feasts of charity or love. Paul in 1 Cor. 
11: 20 designated it, the Lord's Supper. 

This institution must not be confounded 
with that of the Communion, for they are 
clearly distinct institutions, which will be 
seen by an examination of the Word. In 
the discussion of this subject we will notice 
in succession, the time^ the jylace^ and the 
hind of a supper, or feast. 

I.— First, Matt 26: 20, 31; Mark 14: 17; 
John 13: 30; 1 Cor. 11: 23; Acts 20: 7, all 
testify that it was in the night time; so we 
mil pass by without any further comment 
relative to the time, other than to say that 
if the time of its observance has ever been 
changed, it has been done by the authority 
of men and not of Christ or the apostles. 

Second, That it may be observed on any 
day of the week is evident from the irregu- 



THE LOKd's SUPPEK. Ill 

larity of its observance by Christ and the 
apostles. It was instituted on the night of 
his ])etrayal, which was on the 13th day of 
the first month, or according to Jewish time, 
which began the day at sunset, at the be- 
ginning of the 14th day. The apostle how- 
ever did not observe this day as of any 
special importance in connection with the 
event, as we may learn from an example in 
Acts 20:7, when they met on the first day 
of the week. 

II. — The place where it is to be ob- 
served is in the public assembly of the 
Church. 

First, we have the example of Christ with 
the twelve apostles; then that of the meet- 
ing at Troas (Acts 20: 7.) We also have 
Paul's rebuke (1 Cor. 11) for the disorder- 
ly manner in which the Corinthian Brethren 
engaged in it, and the admonition of James 
and Jude concerning those who were not 
worthy to feast with the saints. 

Second, It was at a table (Matt. 26: 20; 
Luke 22: 21,) large enough to accommodate 
all who were present. All were seated at 
the table and from that position partook of 
the meal. 



11^ THE OREAT REDEMPTION. 

III. — The kind of a supper or feast was a 
common meal, held sacred in the memory of 
the disciples ever afterward, as pointing for- 
ward, typifying the marriage supper of the 
Lamb when it be fulfilled in the kingdom 
of God. 

It is not the Jewish Passover, the circum- 
stance of its institution is this: when the 
time of the Jewish Passover drew nigh, and 
Jesus knowing that he must soon suffer for 
the redemption of the world, sent Peter and 
John into the city to jjrepare the Passover, 
see Luke 22: 8-16,also Matt. 26: 17-29. They 
went and did as he had commanded them, 
and when the even was come, he sat down 
with the twelve at the table. 

This was on Wednesday evening, the 13th 
day of the first month, corresponding with 
our sixth day of April, and the Passover 
was not to be eaten until the next evening. 
But Peter and John had already made prep- 
arations for it, and had no doubt also pre- 
pared an ordinary evening meal, to w^hich 
Christ and the disciples had now sat down. 

Though He ate a meal, and Luke calls it 
a supper (22: 20,) with them it could not 
have been the Jewish Passover. The disci- 



THE LORd\s supper. 113 

pies did not so understand it, for on that 
occasion, he pointed out his betrayer (Luke 
22: 21,)and said to him ''That thou doest, 
do quickly'^ (John 13: 27.) 

John in narrating this event says [ch. 13 
V. 29]that some of them that sat at the table 
thought because Judas had the bag that 
Jesus had said unto him "Buy those things 
that we have need of against the feast. '^ It 
is sure from this statement of John's that 
they did not regard this meal that they were 
eating as the Jewish Passover. 

The fact that the Jewish Passover is never 
referred to as a supper^ but always as the 
Feast^ or the Passover taken with John's 
narrative of this event [John 13th ch.] is con- 
clusive that it was not the Jewish Passover. 
[See John 18: 28, 39, also 19: 14] 

In writing of it he says[v. 1] ''Now before 
the feast of the Passover" (v. 2) "and sup- 
per being ended." 

Here he definitely says that the meal they 
partook of was, in point of time, before the 
feast of the Passover, and he calls it a sup- 
per [^deijynon- an evening meal]by which 
term the Jewish Passover was never kncwn. 

Again it must be conceded that if any ontj 



114 THE GEEAT REDEMPTIOIS". 

in that day knew how to keep tlie Passover 
it was Christ himself; but if this supper eat- 
en on the 18th day of the first month, be the 
Passover, then he is guilty of a great impro- 
priety for violating the express specification 
of the law of Moses,Ex. 12th ch,which says it 
must be eaten on the evening of the 14th 
day of the first month, Ex. 12: 6; Num. 9: 5; 
Ezra 6: 19, ''With your loins girded, your 
shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, 
and ye shall eat it in haste.'' 

The Jews reclined or sat at a common 
meal, but the Passover was to be eaten with 
the loins girded, implying that they stood 
while eating, and they were to remain in the 
house all night. 

At this meal Christ and the twelve "sat" 
at the table and when seated there, Christ 
''arose from supper'' (John 13: 4)to per- 
form another ordinance, which when it was 
performed he "sat down again" and dis- 
coursed with them. 

Here are some points in which the law 
of keeping the Passover was violated. The 
Passover was to be eaten on the evening of 
the 14th, day, standing, loins girded, and 
they were not to go out that night. (Deut. 



THE LOEd's supper. 115 

16: 7; Ex. 12: 22.) 

Christ and the disciples ate the Lord's 
supper on the evening of the 13th day, sit- 
ting, Christ laid aside his garment, and the 
disciples removed their shoes. 

Other ordinances (washing feet, John 13: 
5, and the communion, Matt. 26: 26-27,) 
were performed with it and when they had 
conversed and snng a hymn together, they 
went out into the mount of Olives. Matthew 
26: 30. 

The Passover was to be kept strictly on 
the 14th day of the first month. There was 
however a provision for those, who at the 
appointed time could not keep the Passover 
because they were unclean, by reason of 
having touched a dead body or because they 
were afar off on a journey, that they might 
keep it on the 14th day of the second month. 
Num. 9: 10-11. 

But the Lord said to Moses concerniDg 
the man that was clean and would not keep 
the Passover, ''even the same soul shall be 
cut off from among his people; because he 
brought not the offering of the Lord in his 
appointed season^ that man shall bear his 
sin.'' Num. 9: 13. 



116 THE GBEAT REDEMPTION. 

Tlie Passover, witli many other things of 
the book of the Covenant, was greatly neg- 
lected in Israel, and even the book itself 
had been lost for many years. When Josi- 
ah became king, and the lost book was 
fonnd and read, he sent servants to inquire 
of the Lord concerning the words of the 
book. Their inquiry satisfied the king that 
the wrath of the Lord was greatly kindled 
against them, because their fathers had not 
hearkened to the words of the book. The 
king immediately began the restoration of 
the kingdom, renewing the institution of the 
Passover saying, ''Keep the Passover unto 
the Lord your God as it is written in the 
book of the Covenant." 2 Kings 23: 21. 

He gained favor of God by so doing. In 
every case where the words of the Covenant 
were violated, the wrath of God's displeas- 
ure was kindled against those who trans- 
gressed. 

By what authority could Christ and the 
disciples have eaten the Passover before the 
appointed time, and in a manner altogether 
different from the words of the covenant ? 

The meal that Christ ate on the evening 
of the 13thj is in no way connected with the 



THE lord's supper. 117 

Passover. Christ himself was the antitype 
of the Pascal lamb, and at his death the 
Passover was fulfilled. The supper he in- 
stituted on the evening before, was a new 
institution, and a type of what is yet to 
come, when Christ shall gird himself and 
serve at its fulfillment in the Kingdom of 
God. Luke 12:37, 

Another prevailing error is this: The 
Passover is often referred to as the Pascal 
supper. This is wrong. There was nothing 
in it in the nature of a supper, but it Avas 
rather of the nature of taking medicine. It 
was eaten with bitter herbs. 

The Feast of Passover was a different 
thing. It was the feasting that followed 
the Passover, or continued from it during 
seven days, beginning immediately at the 
close of the Passover. The Jewish institu- 
tion was never referred to as a supper, but 
always as the Passover. Christ ordered 
Peter and John to prepare the Passover, the 
Jewish Passover, for they were yet living 
under the law, but when Christ came to eat 
that meal which he desired to be set apart 
as the event marking the passing over from 
the Jewish custom of engaging in a feast, 



118 THE GEE AT KEDEMPTIOIN^. 

whidi looked back to tke night of Israel's 
deliverance from Egypt, to the new order of 
things, pointing forward to the consumma- 
tion in the Kingdom of God, He referred 
to it as this Passover and said, ''with desire 
I have desired to eat it with you,'' conscious 
that he was soon to take his departure and 
feast with them no more until the thing typ- 
ified in this Passover should be fulfilled, 
when he should gird himself and serve them 
at his Father's table in the Kingdom of 
Heaven. Luke 12:37. This is the only 
New Testament ty23e given to the Christian 
believer by which he is led to anticipate a 
glorious fulfillment in the life beyond. And 
like all other tyj)es, chosen by which to ini- 
23lant in the soul the spiritual truth, it car- 
ries with it beautifully, the meta23horic simi- 
larity. 

Feasting the body, thatin which one's pres- 
ent nature delights, typifies feasting the soul 
on the heavenly joys that ''Eye hath not 
seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it en- 
tered into the mind." 

This meal was perpetuated as an ordi- 
nance in the Church. Both James and Jude 
make mention of it as an established thing 



THE lord's supper. 119 

and call it a feast of charity, a love feast. 
Paul in I Cor. 11: 20, calls it the Lord's 
Supper, and recommends to the Corinth- 
ians some corrections in their manner of 
keeping it. This chapter must not be taken 
as a denunciation by Paul against their 
feast, but against the error in it. 

There were divisions and heresies among 
them which led to the irregular way in 
which they ate the supper. ''Every one 
taketh before the other his own supper,'' v. 
21. Paul says, they cannot eat it in that way, 
v. 20, but ''When ye come together to eat, 
tarry one for another." v. 33. Here is the 
express testimony of Paul that they were ex- 
pected to come together in the future to eat 
the supper and he is teaching them how to 
do it. 

The eating mentioned in v. 33 is the same 
as that mentioned in v. 20, for in connection 
with V. 33 he says (v. 34,) "If any man 
himger let him eat at home." 

It is not to be supposed that a disciple of 
Christ would ever have thought of making 
a full meal out of the bread and cup of 
communion. Again, if the eating in v. 33 
does mean the bread of communion, which 



120 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

of the Christian Churclies that have set aside 
the Lord's Supper, the agape, heed in the 
least degree Paul's command, ''tarry one for 
another," but do they not literally everyone 
take before other his own supper ? And if 
the bread and cup was the supper would 
not Paul say, ''Ye cannot eat the Lord's 
SupjDer in this way?" The fact is the bread 
and cup is not the Lord's Supper, or the 
agape, and was never so called by any in- 
spired man. 

From the manner of Paul's expression, it 
is evident that he had received of the Lord 
and delivered to them the Lord's Supper as 
a thing apart from the communion, which 
he says he had also delivered to them. 
Notice the expression, "I have received of 
the Lord that which also I delivered unto 
you." V. 23. Then he states what it was. 
Certainly it cannot be the thing he was 
speaking of before. The position of the 
word "also," clearly shows that he had de- 
livered something else along wdth the com- 
munion. 

If he had received and delivered but one 
thing, the word also would not be there at 
all. Had he meant to emphasize, that he 



THE lord's supper. 121 

had not only received it but delivered it as 
well, the word also would stand after the 
pronoun, I. As it stands in the text, it can- 
not but refer to something else previously 
mentioned, and as the apostle had just been 
discussing the manner of eating the Lord's 
Supper, no manner of reasoning will war- 
rant any one in omitting that institution 
from among the antecedents of the expres- 
sion. 

Further evidence that this meal, which 
Christ ate with the disciples, was to be per- 
petuated, is found in the language of Christ 
on the occasion of its institution. He said 
to them, ^'I will not any more eat thereof, 
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 
Luke 22: 16. The Jewish Passover was 
fulfilled in the death of Christ, but here is 
an institution that he says Avill be fulfilled 
in the future. When an institution is ful- 
filled, that ends it. But until it is fulfilled, 
it must be perpetuated. The Jewish Pass- 
over, being fulfilled in the death of Christ is 
ended; but the supper he instituted is not 
yet fulfilled, and will not be until the end 
of time; hence it must be perpetuated until 
that time. 



122 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOIS^. 

The bread and cup of Communion insti- 
tuted in connection with tbe Lord^s supper 
are also to be perpetuated, but in that, there 
is nothing to be fulfilled. Christ did not 
sj)eak of that institution as he did of the 
sujjper, but he said, ''I will not drink hence- 
forth of the fruit of the vine, until that day 
when I drink it new with you in my 
Father's kingdom.'' Matt. 26: 29. By this 
it is j)lainly seen that the Lord's Supper is 
to be perpetuated; looking forward to its 
glorious fulfillment while the Communion 
is to be perpetuated in remembrance of his 
death until he comes. 

The one (Lord's Suj^per) j^c^inting for- 
ward, the other (Communion) pointing 
backward. The two together are intended 
to fix the attention at the same time upon 
the glorious result of a life of service in fel- 
lowship mth Christ and his peoj)le, and the 
atonement made by Christ in his death, by 
which alone we were freed from bondage 
and this result made possible for us. 

For God to carry through different dis- 
pensations an institution, though under dif- 
ferent phases, is not at all contradictory to 
His adapted method of procedure. 



THE lord's supper. 123 

When his chosen people became a separ- 
ate nation, they were like a ship launching 
from an old port with which it was perfect- 
ly familiar, and steering across an unknown 
ocean to a harbor known only in imagina- 
tion. Long and affectionately they look 
back to the lighthouse on the shore; but as 
they cross the mid-ocean, their affections are 
lifted^ from the past and riveted upon the 
future. They are looking now to catch a 
gleam from the lighthouse of the haven to 
which they are sailing. 

When Israel passed the border of Egyp- 
tian bondage, they took with them, by com- 
mand of God, the institution of the Passover. 
It was their lighthouse in the wilderness. 
A solemn reminder ''throughout their gen- 
eration,'' of their great deliverance. It 
pointed them back to the night when by 
the power of God they were set free. 

But their achievement was not to be the 
end of their glory. An entrance into the 
Kingdom of God in heaven was the ultima- 
tum or goal of the great design. After a 
while they crossed, as it were, the mid-ocean. 
Moses and the Prophets had been faithful 
leaders among them. And now from the 



124 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOK. 

Kingdom of Heaven, God sends His own 
Son to be tlie Captain of his people, to con- 
duct them safely into the haven. New 
hopes are awakened. Glimpses of the fu- 
ture begin to dawm upon them. The light- 
houses from ahead are beaming the radiant 
glory from the throne eternal. Old things 
are passed away. New forms are introduced 
and the watchword now is, ojstward, 

UPWARD. 

Instead of the Passover, that pointed back 
to their deliverance from Egypt, and their 
separation from ian idolatrous world, they 
have the one that pointed them forward to 
the final marriage feast, when they are to be 
forever united with the Lamb, the Son of 
God. This great beacon before them, 
tyj)ified among them by the Lord^s Supper 
or the Feast of Love, gave encouragement, 
and strengthened them as it now does us. 

To this import Moses spoke when in giv- 
ing to the people the institution of the Pass- 
over he said, ''And ye shall keep it a feast 
to the Lord throughout your generations; 
ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for- 
ever.'' Ex. 12: 14. 

Notice the language, ''Ye shall keep it a 



THE lord's supper. 125 

feast to the Lord througlioiit your genera- 
tions ^ These generations ended by the 
breaking up of the ceremonial law and the 
establishing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
But he continues by saying, ''Ye shall keep 
it a feast hy an ordinance forever^'''' by a new 
and special institution, by an ordinance 
such as Christ established when he ate with 
his disciples that supper which he himself 
called a Passover. It to the Christian is the 
symbol of the beacon light on the banks of 
eternal deliverance. 



CHAPTER III.— THE COMMUNION. 



"^ I ^HE cup of blessing wticli we bless is 
■^ it not tlie communion of tlie blood 
of Christ? Tlie bread wMcli we break is it 
not tlie communion of tlie body of Christ V^ 
1 Cor. 10: 16. 

The communion is a term by whicli the 
apostle Paul refers to the Bread and Cup 
which the Lord took on the night of his 
betrayal and blest and gave to his disciples 
saying, ''Take eat; this is my body." "Drink 
ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new 
testament. Matt. 26: 26-28. That there 
can be no mistake in Paul's meaning, he 
refers to it again in the eleventh chapter of 
1 Cor. vs. 23-25, and says, ''For I received 
of the Lord that which also I delivered unto 
you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in 
which he was betrayed, took Bread; and 
when he had given thanks he brake it and 
said. Take eat; this is my body which is 
broken for you; this do in remembrance of 



THE COMMU:N^IO]Sr. 127 

me.'' After the same manner also lie took 
the cup, when he had supped, saying, ''This 
cup is the new testament in my blood," etc. 
This is another of the institutions in the 
house of God in which every member of the 
body of Christ may engage. It is a grand 
emblem of the suffering and death of our 
Savior. 

It points back to the memorable hour 
when the Master said, ''It is finished." The 
plan of the Great Redemption is sealed. 

In the discussion of this subject we will 
notice I, the time] II, the place] III, the 
elements employed. 

I. The time of its institution is identical 
with that of the Lord's Supper. It followed 
immediately at the close of that meal. 

Matt. 26: 26 and Mark 14: 22 say as they 
were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed, 
etc. It was at the close of the supper, but 
was not a part of it, as may be seen from 
Luke's statement (chap. 22, v. 20) where 
after speaking of the bread he says, "Like- 
wise also the cup after supper." From this 
language it is plain that they had eaten 
what Luke called a supper, after whicli \\\e 
communion was instituted. Matthew, Mark 



128 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOK. 

and Luke liave it so closely associated with 
that last sTi]3per, that we need no further 
evidence to assure us of the time of its insti- 
tution. 

The same facts that establish the time of 
one, establish that of the other. It will be 
noted then that it took place in the evening 
or in the night time. It was instituted on 
Wednesday evening, the 13th day of the 
1st month; but this is not essential to its 
observance; for we learn from another ref- 
erence where the disciples came together on 
another evening to engage in breaking 
bread. 

Paul was at Troas and the discij)les came 
together on the first day of the week to 
break bread. It was in the evening that 
they were to "break bread," but we are 
told that Paul continued his speech until 
midnight. [Acts 20: 7.] He then went 
down and brought to life the young man 
who had fallen out of the window from the 
third loft and was taken up dead. He then 
came up and broke bread, v. 11. 

The breaking of bread was here engaged 
in in the night, and that, too, after midnight, 
or on the second day of the week. This is 



THE COMMUlS^IOlSr. 129 

tlie only instance where the disciples are 
reported to have come together on the first 
day of the week to ''break bread,'' and by 
the narrative we see, whatever their inten- 
tion may have been, they did not break it 
until on the second day. 

If we reckon by Jewish time, which com- 
mences the day at sunset, we still have the 
breaking of bread on the second day; for 
the first day would have begun on Saturday 
evening at sunset, and ended on Sunday the 
first day at sunset, and breaking the bread 
on the night following would place it on 
Monday. 

Beginning the day as we do will also 
place it on Monday. It is sometimes argued 
that they met after sunset on Saturday even- 
ing, and thus their meeting was on the first 
day of the week; but those who thus con- 
tend would have Paul departing on his jour- 
ney on the Lord's Day, for the narrative 
says that Paul continued preaching until 
midnight, ready to dej^art on the morrow, 
which evidently means in the morning fol- 
lowing the night in which he was preaching. 

No one having: a hio;h rec:ard for the sane- 
tity of the Lord's Day, would suppose for a 



130 THE GREAT KEDEMPTIOK. 

moment tliat Paul would have left a com- 
pany of bretliren who had met for divine 
worship, and started on a journey on that 
day. 

There is therefore no example given in 
the New Testament where the disciples 
broke bread or celebrated the communion 
on the Lord's Day, however custom may 
have it at this time. 

Paul's mention of the communion in the 
11th chapter of 1 Cor. in connection with 
the Lord's Supper is strong circumstantial 
evidence that it was celebrated in connection 
with the Lord's Supper, which was an even- 
ing meal. Nowhere in the scripture is there 
an instance on record that the communion 
was celebrated on the first day of the week 
or in the day time. 

But is the time essential to its observa- 
tion ? It pleased God to have it instituted 
in the evening, and inspired men observed 
it at that time, and we know of no criterion 
that affords a safer guide than the examples 
of Christ and the inspired apostles. 

The Bread and Cup should not be called 
the Lord's Supper. Bible institutions 
should be known by Bible names, especial- 



THE COMMUlSriO^. 131 

ly tliose in which other names may be mis- 
leading. 

The term supper in onr day means an 
evening meal, the last meal of the day. The 
Greek deijynon^ from which it is translated 
in the New Testament, means an evening 
meal. It meant that at the time the apos- 
tles used it in speaking of that last meal 
which the Savior ate with his disciples on 
the night of his betrayal, and which was long 
afterward referred to as the Lord's Supper. 

The fact that no inspired man ever called 
the bread and cup the Lord's Supper war- 
rants us in discarding that name. 

Not only this, but the manner in which it 
is taken is inconsistent with the idea ex- 
pressed in the term, supper. 

Unbiased by the degenerate practice of 
modern Christendom, no one could, to any 
degree of mental satisfaction, harmonize his 
established idea of a supper to limiting the 
elements composing it, to a taste of bread 
and a sip from the cup; but we can have a 
solemn and an exalted impression of a spir- 
itual fellowship with Christ by tasting of 
that which is emblematic of his broken body 
and of his shed blood. Christ thus commu- 



132 THE GREAT KEBEMPTIOIS" 

nicating himself to us and we communicat- 
ing our souls to liim, Paul says it is the 
''communion, '^ the intermingling of the body 
of Christ with our fleshly bodies, the medi- 
um throug:h which the soul is touched and 
fed with the bread from heaven. 

The partaking of this holy sacrament is 
the great seal whereby we proclaim our 
faith in the Son of God and herald the 
great atonement made by him for lost hu- 
manit}^ 

Being brought from death unto life by 
the regenerative j)ower of the Word, we 
hunger and thirst after righteousness and 
our craven appetites can only be satisfied 
when we feast the soul upon the bread that 
came down from heaven, and drink from the 
fountain opened up in the house of David. 

But why is the bread and cup so gener- 
ally called the Lord's Supper? For every- 
thing there must be a cause, and for this the 
cause must exist outside of the Scripture: 
for it is there called the communion and 
that, too, by the same writer (Paul) who 
speaks of another institution under the name 
of the ''Lord's Supper.'' The explanation 
is simple. The communion, as it is cele- 



THE COMMUNIOIS^. 133 

brated by the popular churches of today, 
would never have been called a supper, 
were it not for the fact, recorded in history 
as well as in the Bible, that the apostles and 
early Christians had in connection with it a 
full evening meal which they called the 
Lord's Supper or lovefeast. 

Little by little the essentials of the even- 
ing meal disappeared, but still it w^ent by 
(he old name. After a while the most 
prominent part of the services was the wafer 
of bread and the cup; hence it came to be 
looked upon as the supper. 

Oh for more true hearted men like King 
Josiah of old, to search deep into the too 
often neglected book, God's New Covenant 
with man, and implore His guidance that 
ere His wrath be kindled into consuming 
flames, we may reinstate into His house the 
holy ordinances once delivered to the saints. 

n. The place of this celebration of the 
Lord's death is,like all other ordinances of the 
house of God; to be in the presence of the 
Public Assembly of the congregation of the 
church. 

This is evident from what Paul said con- 
cerning its observance, [1 Cor. 11:2(5 J. ''For 



134 THE GREAT KEDEMPTIOlSr. 

as oft as ye eat tliis bread and drink this 
cup ye do show the Lord's death till he 
come.'' 

It is to be celebrated in remembrance of 
Christ not only for the benefit of the mem- 
bers of the body, but that others by this 
witness may be led to remember the suf- 
fering and death of Christ in the atone- 
ment for their sins. 

Being instituted at the same time and 
place of the Lord's Supper, it was also par- 
taken of from the same table, and the dis- 
ciples and Christ were seated at that table. 

This one thing then is sure, that the dis- 
ciples who partook of these emblems at the 
time of its institution did so while seated at 
the Lord's table. 

While they were yet seated at the table 
Christ in his exortation most beautifully 
draws a parallel, ''Ye are they which have 
continued with me in my temptation, and I 
appoint unto you a kingdom as my Father 
hath appointed unto me. That ye may eat 
and drink at my table in my kingdom." 
[Luke 22:28-30.] This is a strong infer- 
ence that in the kingdom here in the world 
there is a table from which the saints eat. 



THE COMMUlSriO]^. 135 

Paul, in the lOtli chapter of 1st Corinth- 
ians, speaks of a table that is exclusively 
the Lord's table and he speaks of it in such 
connection that it would not be admisable 
to conclude that this '^Lord's table'' was 
only a spiritual conception while the other 
was literal. Paul in this chapter is speak- 
ing in reference to the communion, and in 
his discussion he touches upon the propriety 
of a Christian eating things offered unto 
idols. It appears from his letter that some 
of the Corinthians had been invited to feasts 
prepared by their idolatrous neighbors, at 
which feasts there would be set before them 
things sacrificed unto idols. 

Hence Paul says in his admonition, v. 20, 
''things which the Gentiles sacrifice they 
sacrifice to devils and not to God, and I 
would not that ye have fellowship with 
devils." Now come the reasons he offers, 
V. 21: ''Ye cannot drink of the cup of the 
Lord and the cup of the devil ; Ye cannot be 
partaker of the Lord's table and of the table 
of devils." 

That two tables are here mentioned, one 
from which the wicked ate things sacrificed 
unto devils, the other designated the Lord's 



136 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 

table from whicli Cliristiaiis partook, and 
since Paul is here discussing the eating of 
the communion, it is strong evidence that 
the communion in Paul's time was taken 
from a table. If one of these tables is to be 
regarded as literal, so also is the other. 

Since Christ gave the example to the dis- 
ciples seated around the table, there could 
be nothing more becoming in them than to 
celebrate it in the same manner, and to teach 
those under their instruction to observe it in 
the same way, and there can be nothing 
mere reverential in those who are taught, 
than to continue celebrating it after the 
manner of Christ's example and the teach- 
ing of the apostles. Paul says, ''I have re- 
ceived of the Lord that which also I deliver- 
ed unto you.'' (1 Cor. 11:23.) 

And to the Corinthians he also said, "Now 
I praise you brethren that you remember 
me in all things and keep the ordinances as 
I delivered them to )ou." (1 Cor. 11:2). 
That is, in the same manner in w^hich he de- 
livered them. His praise was that they re- 
membered his teaching and showed it in their 
attempt at keeping their ordinances, which 
in his teaching he had delivered to them. 



THE COMMUIN^ION. 137 

What were these ordinances? Paul's testi- 
timony concerning his own teaching was 
that he shunned not to declare the whole 
counsel of God. (Acts 20:27.) Hence we 
would conclude that when he was with the 
Corinthians, teaching them, he declared to 
them all the ordinances; but in this letter 
which he now writes^ to them he makes no 
attempt to enumerate them again, but simply 
praises them for having remembered his form - 
er teaching, though in their attempt to keep 
them they had deviated from the proper 
method in some instances, hence he makes 
special mention of these ordinances in which 
the error was found and attempts to correct 
it. 

If Paul taught that these ordinances 
should be observed after the same manner 
in which they were observed when he re- 
ceived them, then we know that his teach- 
ing was that they should be seated at a tal)le 
when keeping the ordinance. Hence the 
proper place at which the communion shouhl 
be observed is seated at the Lord's table. 

HI. The elements employed in the Holy 
Communion are bread and the fruit of the 
vine. 



138 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOJST. 

Paul says, (1 Cor. 10:16), ^'The bread 
whicli we break is it not tlie communion of 
the body of Christ?" 

This bread is not the real body of Christ, 
but an emblem of it. It is a material sub- 
stance used whereby to aid the soul in im- 
bibing the spiritual body of Christ. Taking 
a portion of bread and consecrating it to 
this holy use no more changes the substance 
of this"! bread into the real substance of the 
body of Christ than is the carved image of 
the mother of Christ her real body. 

The prevalent idea of this trans -substan- 
tiation is utterly false and the practice gross- 
ly impious; for not only does the devotee 
make to himself mth his own hands a min- 
iature God and worships it literally as he 
beholds it in the wafer of bread, but when 
he has satisfied himself with its genuineness 
literally eats it. The disciples did not eat 
the literal body of Christ when they had it 
with them, but partook of that which he set 
apart to be emblematic of his body for all 
time to come. We will notice first, the 
manner in which it was taken, second, the 
kind of bread used. 

1, The manner of taking this bread is 



THE COMMUJSriOI^. 139 

fully set forth by the example of Christ. 
Matthew, Mark and Luke each state that 
Christ in instituting this ordinance took 
bread and broke it. 

Paul to the Corinthians said, ''The bread 
which we break.'' Not only does the exam- 
ple thus authorize that the bread be broken, 
but the symbol as well requires it; for it is 
done in remembrance of his hroken body. 
(1 Cor. 11:24.) 

2. The kind of bread, as to whether it 
be leavened or unleavened, we think is 
clearly set forth both by the example and 
the requirements of the symbol. 

Before the feast of the passover all leaven 
was to be put out of the house as a sign of 
purification or cleansing from the leaven of 
unrighteousness. 

The time of the feast was drawing near 
and Christ sent two of the disciples to pre- 
pare that they might eat it. Living yet 
under the Jewish law nothing would be 
more common than that their first act would 
be to put away all leaven. 

Leaven, whenever used in typical lan- 
guage of the Old Testament was always as- 
sociated with uncleanness, sinfulness or un- 



140 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

righteousness. 

In the New Testament the doctrine of the 
Gospel in its power to convert many sinners 
is compared to leaven, which a woman took 
and hid in three measures of meal until the 
whole was leavened, (Matt. 13:33), so 
powerful is it in its transforming nature that 
when it enters the heart it changes the whole 
life, body, soul and spirit. 

Likewise the erroixeous doctrines of the 
Pharisees and Saddusees, against which 
Christ warned his disciples to beware, 
(Matt. 16:6), is compared to leaven. Leaven 
is defined as a species of adulteration, that 
which has a germinating tendency, propa- 
gating itself until the whole is influenced by 
its presence. Covetousness, malice, envy, 
hatred, are fruitful germs of a leavenous 
tendency. Against such the Christian is to 
guard his purity. Sincerity, truth and like 
attributes of a holy life are represented as 
unleavened bread. (1 Cor. 5:8). 

The bread of Communion is to be eaten 
by members of the body of Christ having 
been made worthy by the regenerating pow- 
er of his word. 

In them there is no malice, no hatred, 



THE COMMUlN^IOlsr, 141 

nothing of the leaven of unrighteousness. 

The object of eating the bread of Com- 
munion is to maintain this purity and spir- 
itual life. (John 6: 53.) 

Paul in his address to the Corinthians 
represents them as being unleavened (1 Cor- 
5: 7.) and exhorts them to put away from 
them those sinful persons whose presence 
would be as leaven among them. 

The material symbol chosen to symbol- 
ize this unleavened spiritual state must have 
a symbolized resemblance. Since bread is 
the element authorized by Chiist and the 
apostles to be used, this resemblance must 
be found in the state or condition of this 
bread. 

It follows therefore that unleavened bread 
is that which should be used as the emblem 
of the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

''The fruit of the vine'' which our Lord 
used in connection with the bread of Com- 
munion is to be understood as literally as is 
his reference to the bread. 

That he calls himself ''the true vine'' does 
not in any way have any bearing upon this 
expression of his,concerning the "fruit of the 
vine" in connection with the communion. 



142 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOISr. 

When he said "I am the true vine" he 
also said ''ye are the branches.'' (''John 15: 

1-5.) 

The disciples were the result of his mis- 
sion, the fruit of his labor. They were the 
fruit of the true vine, who in their turn 
were also to bear fruit. 

The immediate fruit of the vine in this 
connection where Christ is represented as 
the true vine is the disciples, a thing alto- 
gether foreign from the "fruit of the vine" 
the contents of the "cup of the New Testa- 
ment in his blood." 

By a figure of speech in which he uses 
the cup for its contents, Christ mentions it as 
the cup of the New Testament in his blood. 

The Bread re23resents his body; the con- 
tents of the cup his blood. The blood is 
the life giving element to the body. No 
literal thing in common use in the time of 
Christ could have been more ajDpropriate as 
an emblem of that blood than wine, the 
fruit of the vine. 

But a question arises, was the fruit of 
the vine called wine and if so was it fer- 
mented or unfermented? 

The unfermented juice squeezed from 



l^HE OOMMUKIOIN^. 143 

clusters of grapes is beyond question the 
fruit of the vine. We will let the Bible 
answer as to whether it be called wine. 

Isaiah 65: 8. ''Thus saith the Lord, as the 
new wine is found in the cluster and one 
sayeth, destroy it not; for a blessing is in 

it;' 

Prov. 3: 10. ''And thy presses shall burst 
out with new wine." 

Jer. 48: 33. "I have caused wine to fail 
from the winepress.*" 

Isaiah 16: 10. "The treaders shall tread 
no wine in their presses.'' 

The question is answered and the posi- 
tion that the "fruit of the vine" is unfer- 
mented wine, is fully sustained. Indeed 
it could not be otherwise since to make 
fermented wine requires that the juice un- 
dergo the leavening process of fermenta- 
tion which is a species of adulteration and 
the result is no longer the fruit of the vine 
but the product of the ferment , 

The ferment is not natural to the juice 
and is not found in the cluster but enters 
the juice after it is exposed to the air. By 
it the vitality or nourishing prc^)erty of the 
wine is destroyed and it is no longer a fit 



144 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOIS'. 

emblem of the nourisliing, life -sustaining 
blood of Christ. 

The ferment is to the new wine as the 
leaven is tothe lump of dough. It is the 
leaven of the wine. The same arguments 
apply to this as for the use of unleavened 
bread. The evidences in favor of unfer- 
mented wine are incontrovertible. I wish 
o call S23ecial attention to the fact that fer- 
mented wine is not the fruit of the vine, 
t The chief constituent that characterizes 
graj3e juice from any other juice is its sugar 
or glycose. Before fermentation takes place 
it is palatable, nourishing and not intoxi 
eating. This sugar is contaiued in the 
liquid in slnall sacks or cells. The work of 
the ferment is to penetrate these cells and 
break up the chemical union of the elements 
forming the sugar. Under the ordinary in- 
fluences of the ferment the sugar breaks up 
into two equivalents, alcohol and carbonic 
acid. Other influences of fermentation will 
produce still other effects. 

When the sugar has undergone the pro- 
cess of fermentation it is no longer sugar 
The chemical* relation of the alcohol and 
carbonic acid being destroyed. Yet togeth- 



THE COMMUlSriOK. 145 

er they form a liquid but nothing like the 
original grape juice. It may be called wine 
but not the fruit of the vine. 

To illustrate, German silver is composed 
of a proportional quantity of copper, zinc 
and nickel, but if the proper chemical rela- 
tion existing between them be broken up 
the result will no longer be German silver 
though it contains the original chemical 
materials. So likewise the fruit of the vine 
when it has undergone the process of fer- 
mentation it is no longer that which Christ 
used as an emblem of his shed blood. 

As well might we substitute a vapor bath 
for baptism or the dropping of a penny in 
the box for the kiss of charity, as to use 
fermented wine in the communion service 
and call it the ''fruit of the vine." 

The object and purpose of this Holy or- 
dinance make it the most sacred of all the 
Christian privileges. It is the central point 
in the Gospel plan of redemption, around 
which cluster all the obligations and privi- 
leges of God's chosen ones. It awakens 
hope by pointing to the Lamb of God, sLain 
that the sin of the world might be removed. 
It imparts strength; for it is the Bread and 



146 THE GKEAT REDEMPTION. 

Water of life to tlie soul famisliiiig in a 
world barren of spiritual food, and flooded 
with evil. It is emblematic of a co-ming- 
ling of tlie life of Christ with that of our 
inward immortal being. 

With Holy reverence the christian world 
should receive it in solemn silent adoration 
to the Great God of our salvation, and to 
His Son whose meritorious righteousness 
has purchased our redemption. 



CHAPTER IV.— THE WEEK OF 
PASSION. 



^ I ^ HE week of Passover was the last 
^ week of Christ's sojourn upon the earth. 

In order to intelligently review the events 
of this week of wonderful transactions, we 
will begin with Christ's coming to Bethany 
''six days before the Passover" and end with 
the morning of his resurrection. 

The object of this investigation is to as- 
certain precisely the time and place of the 
leading events of the closing days of Christ's 
earthly ministry. 

This review will be found very helpful 
in understanding the ordinances set forth in 
the three preceding chapters, as you will 
find herein pointed out with unmistakable 
accuracy, the time and place of their institu- 
tion. 

Jesus was at Jerico Matt. 20: 29, and 
''six days before the passover he came to 
Bethany where Lazarus was, John 12: 1. 



148 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOJS". 

To ascertain tlie date of his coming to 
Bethany we must know tlie date of the 
Passover. 

Turning to Exodus 12' 6-8, and to Deu- 
teronomy 16: 6 we learn that the Lamb Avas 
to be slain and eaten on the 14th day of the 
1st month, at the going down of the sun. 
Six days before this time Christ came to 
Bethany, which therefore must have been 
on the 8th day of the month. 

To ascertain the day of the week, we must 
go forward to the time of the resurrection, 
which we know was on Sunday, the first 
day of the week. [Luke 24:1-7]. Christ 
had said that he would arise on the third 
day after his crucifixion, [Matt. 20:19], 
hence this Sunday was the third day after 
his death and burial. Counting backward, 
Saturday was the second day after his bur- 
ial, Friday the first. He was laid in the 
tomb on the day before this which was 
Thursday, the time of eating the Passover. 
He died at the 9th hour, i. e., at 3 p. m., 
and was buried the same evening. This 
explanation agrees with the saying of 
Christ, ''so shall the Son of man be three 
days and three nights in the heart of the 



THE WEEK OF PASSIOJST. 149 

eartF' Matt. 12:40. 

The common error has been in the theory 
that he was buried on Friday evening. If 
he was buried at that time he could have 
been in the grave only Uoo days and two 
nights. There is nothing in the scriptures 
to support this theory, while on the other 
hand, the theory that he was buried on 
Thursday evening is supported by the above 
quotations, and the scriptures no where con- 
flict with that idea. 

The Jewish Passover was to have been 
eaten on the evening following Thursday- 
Six days before this, Jesus came to Beth- 
any. Counting backward from this time, 
Wednesday was the first day before the 
Passover, Tuesday the second, Monday the 
third, Sunday the fourth, Saturday the 
fifth, Friday the sixth. 

It is apparent also that he came at the 
close of Friday, otherwise his coming wouhl 
have been more than six days before the 
Passover. 

Jesus is now in Bethany in the home of 
Martha and Mary. ''There they made him 
a supper and Martha served; but Lazarus 
was one of them that sat at the table with 



150 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOJS'. 

him;' John 12: 2. 

The narrative does not say when this sup- 
per was made, but it is not likely that it 
was made on the evening of his arrival, for 
the Jewish Sabbath began at sunset and it 
would not have been lawful for them to 
have engaged in a feast on that evening. 
Jesus quite likely rested on this day (Ex. 
34: 21) at the home of Martha and Mary. 
Luke 10: 38-41. 

The Jewish Sabbath ending at sunset, the 
supper they made him was in their home in 
the evening after the close of the Sabbath. 
Lazarus was present; Martha served; Mary 
anointed the feet of Jesus with a pound of 
ointment of spikenard, very costly, and 
wiped them with the hair of her head. 
Judas was present and became indignant at 
this use of so precious an ointment. He 
argued that it might have been sold for 
three hundred pence and given to the poor. 
But Jesus said, ''The poor ye have with you 
always, me ye have not." ''Against the 
day of my burying hath she kept this." 
John 12: 7. 

On the next day, when Jesus came to 
Jerusalem, many of the people who had 



THE WEEK OF PALSIOISr. 151 

already come there to attend the feast, 
wMcli began on the following Thursday 
evening, took branches of palm trees and 
went out to meet him, crying, ^'Hosanna! 
Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in 
the name of the Lord.'' John 12: 13. Many 
took off their garments and laid them in the 
way before him, and a very great multitude 
went with him as he rode into the citv 
seated upon the colt that his disciples had 
procured for him. Thus they glorified him, 
shouting, ^'Hosanna to the Son of David!" 
until all Jerusalem was aroused. 

When he came into Jerusalem he entered 
into the temple of God and found there 
those who sold doves, and others who 
changed the money of those who had come 
to attend the feast from other countries. 
These he drove out and overturned their 
tables saying, ''It is written, my house shall 
be called a house of prayer, but ye have 
made it a den of thieves." [Matt. 21: 13.] 
''When the temple was cleansed, and the 
blind and lame that came to him were 
healed, even the children in the temple were 
crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" 

These things sorely displeased the chief 



152 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOI^. 

priests. Jesus knowing this, quoted from 
the Psalmist David, ''Out of the mouth of 
babes and sucklings thou hast perfected 
praise." (Psa. 8: 2.) Matt. 21: 16. 

A careful reading of Matt. 21 to verse 17, 
and of Luke 19: 29-46, will clearly estab- 
lish the fact that the first cleansing of the 
temple took place on Sunday^ four days 
before the Passover. 

In the evening he went out of the city 
into Bethany and lodged there. Matt. 21 :17. 

''Now in the morning [^Mondayl^ as he 
returned into the city he hungered, and 
when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came 
to it, but finding nothing thereon but leaves 
only he said unto it, "Let no fruit grow on 
thee henceforth forever.'' Matt. 21: 18, 19; 
Mark 11: 12-14. Both Matthew and Mark 
here say that he cursed the fig tree when on 
his way into the city frpm Bethany on Mon- 
day iwovmng. Mark 11: 15 continuing the 
narrative after the fig tree was cursed, gives 
an account of a cleansing of the temple, 
which must have been on Monday, and the 
second time he cleansed it; for from Matt. 
21: 12 and Luke 19: 45-46, it is evident that 
the temple was also cleansed on Sunday. 



THE WEEK OF PASSIOIST. 153 

It is apparent, then, that when Jesus 
came into the temple on Monday he found 
that those whom he had driven out the day 
before, had returned. So he drove them 
out a second time and would not allow any 
one to carry any vessel through the temple. 

After teaching in the temple, 'Svhen even 
was come he went out of the city, (Mark 
11: 19 ) ''and in the morning ^l^uesday'jsi^ 
they were returning to the city" (v. 20) ''as 
they passed by they saw the fig tree dried 
up from the roots.*" Then followed the Mas- 
ter's lesson on faith. (Matt. 21:20-22;Mark 
11:20-26.) This lesson he taught as they 
were going on the way to Jerusalem. Arriv- 
ing in the city "As he was walking in the 
temple, there came to him the chief priests 
and the scribes and the elders, and say unto 
him, by what authority doeth thou these 
things?'' 

This was the last day in the temple. It 
was a most remarkable day. It is marked 
by the closing scenes of Christ's public min- 
istry. It includes the three warning para- 
})les. The questions asked by the Jews,and 
the unanswerable questions asked them by 
Christ, The enunciation of the woe against 



1 54 THE GREAT REDEMPTIO]^. 

the Pharisees. 

The scene is closed by the Wonderful 
Prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. 
Matt. 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21: 20-24. 

In the evening he returned to Bethany 
and as he sat at meat in the house of Simon 
the leper, a woman came to him with an 
alabaster box of ointment, and breaking the 
box she anointed his head with the oint- 
ment. Matt. 26: 6; Mark 14: 3. 

It is claimed that this is the supper at 
which Jesus taught his disciples a lesson of 
humility by his example of Feet Washing. 
Buttheideais erroneous. One passage of 
scripture is sufficient to refute it. Eemem- 
ber that they are now in Bethany. Bethany 
was 15 furlong's east of Jerusalem. The 
Mount of Olives and the Garden of Geth- 
semane lay between Bethany and the brook 
Cedron, all on the east side of the Brook. 
Jerusalem was on the west side of the Brook. 

The following diagram will amply illus- 
trate. 




o 

Garden X 

Mt. of Olives 



o 

Bethany 



THE WEEK OF PASSIOIST. 155 

John in the 13th chapter narrates the 
events what followed immediately after the 
supper at w^hich Christ washed the disciples' 
feet, and continuing the narration, in the 
14th chapter and 31st verse Christ says, 
'^Arise, let us go hence." This was while 
they were yet at the table. They arose and 
started toward the accustomed place, the 
Garden. The narrative goes on, giving 
Christ's conversation as they went. Finally 
John 18: 1 says, ^Vhen Jesus had spoken 
these words,he went forth with his disciples, 
across the brook Cedron where was the 
Garden, into the which they entered."' This 
they could not have done had they been 
coming from Bethany; for Bethany and the 
Garden are on the same side of the brook. 
Hence the supper from which they came 
after feetwashing must have been in Jerusa- 
lem. 

The supper in Bethany in Simon's house 
was in the evening following Tuesday, his 
last day in the temple. At the time Jesus 
was at this supper the high * priests were 
holding a council to determine how they 
might take him by subtilty. Matt. 20: 1-5; 
Luke 22: 1-6. While they were in the 



156 THE GEEAT REDEMPTIOJST. 

cotincil, Judas came and bargained to 
betray him to them for thirty pieces of sil- 
ver. From that time on he sought opportu- 
nity to betray him in the absence of the 
multitude. No opportunity was given until 
the next evening; for after the events of 
this day and evening, Jesus ^'hid himself/' 
John 12: 36; probably with the disciples at 
Ephraim. John 11: 1-4. 

His prophetical mission and ministry in 
the temple was completed, but ''his hour'' 
had not yet come; hence he went away into 
this place of seclusion that the Jews might 
not take him before the proper time. 

None of the evangelists say anything 
about the transaction of Wedin^esday until 
in the evening. 

Peter and John were sent, probably in 
the afternoon toward evening, to prepare for 
the Passover. This was the time, according 
to Jewish law, when all leaven was to be 
removed. Ex. 12: 18. It should be ob- 
served also th^t the Jewish day began at 
sunset: hence the evening of the day came 
at the beginning of the day. In the account 
that Moses gives of the creation he uses this 
expression, "The evening and the morning 



THE WEEK OF PASSIOK. 157 

were the first day.*" Gen. 1: 5. This was in 
perfect harmony with the Jewish method of 
reckoning time. 

When the 13th day had closed and the 
sun had set, all the Jews began to renovate 
their houses, removing from them all leaven. 
From that time on for seven days they were 
not allowed to eat any leavened bread. 

Living under the Jewish law, the disci- 
ples, not knowing but that Jesus would 
keep the Jewish passover as he had done 
before, came to him saying, ''Where wilt 
thou that we prepare for thee to eat the 
Passover?^' Matt. 26: 17. Christ's answer 
is worthy of special notice. He did not tell 
them directly where they should prepare it, 
but in such a way that those who remained 
with him were left wholly in ignorance of 
the place. This is most remarkable. Judas 
was one of them that remained with him. 
He had already bargained Avith the chief 
priest to betray Christ to them and was now 
seeking for an opportunity. But to pre- 
vent him from accomplishing his purpose 
before the proper time, Christ kept him in 
ignorance of the place to which he was 
about to go: hence Judas was compelled to 



158 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

remain with him. 

''In the evening," i. e. after sundown, at 
the close of Wednesday, at the beginning of 
the 14th day, probably when it began to get 
dark, so that he could not be detected as 
"He comes with the twelve." Mark 14: 17. 
Coming into the place already prepared "He 
sat down with the twelve." Matt. 26: 20; 
Luke 22: 14. 

This was in the upper room at Jerusalem 
on the evening following Wednesday, the 
13th day of the first month. 

At this time and place Jesus instituted 
the ordinances of Feetwashing, the Lord's 
Supper, and the Communion. About this 
there can be no mistake. John 12th chap- 
ter gives a full account of the feetwashing; 
says it was before the passover; says that 
Christ arose from supper, the same meal 
that each of the evangelists said he had sat 
down to. Continuing the account of the 
supper, he gives it more in detail than the 
other evangelists had done, omitting the 
points they had already mentioned. He 
continues the narrative through several 
chapters connecting it with what immedi- 
ately followed. Finally in the 18th chap- 



THE WEEK OF PASSION. 159 

ter and 1st verse lie says, ''When Jesus had 
spoken these words, he went forth with his 
disciples over the brook Cedron, where was 
a garden, into the which he went and his 
disciples." Then follows an account of the 
betrayal. A glance at the map will show 
at once that the brook Cedron was between 
Jerusalem and the garden, and in going 
from Jerusalem to the garden they crossed 
the brook. This they could not have done 
if the preceding event had taken place at a 
supper in Bethany; for Bethany and the 
garden were on the same side of the brook. 
Since there is no mention made of any other 
supper that week in Jerusalem; and since 
Christ was in Jerusalem only that one even- 
ing this is conclusive evidence that the ordi- 
nance of Feetwashing was instituted at the 
same time and place as that of the Lord's 
Supper and the Communion. 

Some time during this evening, Judas, the 
traitor, was pointed out. He went immedi- 
ately out and sought the high priests, ob- 
tained a band of soldiers, and led the way 
to the garden where Christ now was. 

Jesus, after having been pointed out by 
Judas, by a kiss, was taken by the soldiers, 



160 THE GEEAT REDEMPTI0:N^. 

first before Annas, John 18: 13; then to Cai- 
phas, Matt. 26: 57; then to Pilate, Matt. 27:2. 
This was early on TnimsDAY morning. He 
was tried, condemned, scourged, crucified 
and died at the 9th hour, i. e. at 3 p. m. 
There was darkness over all the land from 
the 6th to the 9th hour, i. e. from noon un- 
til 3 p. m. Luke 23: 44. The earth quaked, 
the rocks rent. Men greatl}^ feared and 
said, ^^Truly this was the Son of God." 

These events took place at the time 
appointed for the slaying of the Pascal 
lamb. It was to be slain at the going down 
of the sun. Deut. 16: 6. At this time 
Christ was slain and Paul said of it, ''Christ 
our Passover is sacrificed for us." 1 Cor. 5:7. 

The supper that Christ had eaten mth 
his discijDles in Jerusalem the evening before 
could not have been the Jewish Passover, 
for that was to be eaten after sunset on this 
day. Christ lay in the tomb at the time 
when the Jews should have eaten the Pass- 
over. He was buried in the evening, Luke 
23: 53, 54; for the day following was an 
holy convocation, in which no servile work 
could be done. Lev. 23: 7 also Nimi. 28: 
I7j 18. Holy convocations were also called 



THE WEEK OF PASSIOIST. 161 

Sabbath days. Lev. 23: 3. 

This was Friday. The next day was the 
regular Jewish Sabbath or Saturday, and 
no body was allowed to hang on the cross 
on that day. Deut. 21:23. Hence there 
was no alternative, the body of Christ must 
be taken down and buried on Thursday, 
which they did at the close of the day, which 
was also the beginning of the next day. 
When he was buried, and the great stone 
placed before the sepulchre, the chief priest, 
remembering that Christ had said, ''after 
three days I will arise again,'' came unto 
Pilate and asked permission to make safe 
the sepulchre ''lest his disciples come by 
night and steal him away." This request 
was made at the beginning of Friday, there- 
fore in the evening following Thursday. 
Bear in mind that the preparation day was 
Thursday. John says, "The Jews there- 
fore, because it was the preparation, (i. e., 
the day on which they prepared for the 
Passover), besought Pilate that their legs 
might be broken, and that they might be 
taken away.'' John 19:31. Why did they 
want to take them away on this da}' ? He 
answers in the ])art we omitted from the 



162 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

above quotation, "that the body might not 
remain on the cross on the Sabbath day." 
Though Friday came before the regular 
Sabbath, yet they could not take the body 
down and bury it on that day because it 
was the first of the seven days of unleavened 
bread; ''In the first day ye shall have an 
Holy convocation, ye shall do no servile 
work therein.'' Lev. 23:7, also Num. 28:18. 

Now since no one was allowed to hang on 
the cross on the Sabbath, and they were not 
allowed to take it down on the day preced- 
ing, they therefore sought permission to take 
it down on Thursday. 

The Sabbath that John calls an High 
day, was so called because it was one of the 
seven days of the Holy convocation, and 
therefore a special Sabbath, and came on 
Friday that year. The regular Sabbath 
came the next day, or on Saturday. 

The seven days including and following 
the Passover was the Feast of the Passover, 
also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

This explanation is in harmony with every 
passage of scripture relating to Christ being 
three days and three nights in the tomb. 
Christ, in speaking of his burial says, ''and 



THE WEEK OF PASSION. 163 

the third day he shall rise again.'' Matt. 
20:19. Counting from Thursday evening, 
the time of his burial, Friday was the first 
day, Saturday the second, Sunday the third. 
This places the crucifixion on Thursday. 
Feetwashing, the Lord's Supper and the 
Communion, in the upper room at Jerusa- 
lem, on Wednesday evening, one day before 
the Passover. The supper and anointing at 
Bethany, in the house of Simon, on Tuesday 
evening, two days before the Passover. The 
second cleansing of the temple on Monday. 
The first cleansing on Sunday. The supper 
in the home of Martha and Mary on Satur- 
day. At this supper Mary anointed the 
Saviour's feet. This was five days before 
the Passover. The coming of Christ to 
Bethany on Friday evening, ''six days be- 
fore the Passover." 



164 



THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 



Tlie following table will illustrate the 
three suppers spoken of in the Week of 
Passion. 

THE THREE SUPPERS. 

FIRST SUPPER. 

I. Time - Saturday evening ; five 
days before Passover 

2 PiiACE- Bethany, home Martha 

and Mary 

3 Persons present- Jesus. Martha, 

Mary. Lazarus. Judas 

4 EvENTS-Martha served, Mary an- 

nointed Christ's feet with Tb- of 

ointment, Judas murmured, 

Christ's answer 

5 Events following - Palm Sun- 

day 

SECOND SUPPER. 

1 Time - Tuesday evening:. 2 days 

before Passover 

2 PLACE-Bethany,in the house of 

Simon 

3 Persons PRESENr-Christ. a wo- 

man, the disciples 

4 Events - A woman annpinted 

Christ's head 

-disciples murmured 

-Christ's answer 

5 Events FOLLOWiNG-Judas bar- 

gains with High Priest 

THIRD SUPPER. 

1 TiME-Wednesday evening, 1 day 

before Passover 

2 PLACE-Jerusalem, in a large up- 

per loom 

3 Persons PRESENT-Christ and the 

twelve 

4 EvENTS-Supper served 

-Jesus washed disciples' feet 
-Conversation between Christ 
and Peter 
-The supper eaten 
-Judas, the Betrayer pointed out 
-Bread and cup of communion in- 
stituted 
-They sang a hymn and went out 

5 Events following- They went 

across the Brook Cedron into 

the Garden 

-The betrayal 

-Trial and crucifixion 



Matt. 


Mark 


Luke 


John 








12:1 








12:2 








12:2-4 








12-2 








12:3 








12:4-7 


21:8 


11:8 


19:36-38 


12:13 


26:2 


14:1 






26:6 


14:3 






26:7-8 


14:3-4 






26:7 

26:8 

26:10-13 


14:3 

14:5 

14:6-9 






26:14-15 


14:10-11 


22 :3-4 




26:17-21 


14:12-17 




13:1 




14:15 


22:12 




26:20 
26: 


14:17 
14: 


22:14 
22: 


13:22 

13: 
13:5 








13:6-10 


26:21 
26 :25 


14:18 
14:18-2(1 


22:20 
22:21 


13:26 


26:26-27 
26:30 


14:22-23 
14:26 


22:17-19 


18:1 


26:49 

27: 


14 :45 
15: 


22 :47 

23: 


18:5 
19; 



.^ PART III. k_ 

INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN DUTIES 



CHAPTER I.— THE HOLY KISS OF 
CHARITY. 

^ f ^HE burden of St. Jolin's espistolary 
■^ writings is Love. He says, ''This is 
the message we have received from the be- 
ginning, that we should love one another." 
And again, "We know that we have passed 
from death unto life because M^e love the 
brethren. He that loveth not his brother 
abideth in death.*" 

Love has been the ruling element through- 
out the ages past. It is the strongest passion 
of the human mind. It knows no obstacle, 
fears no foe. - Is governed by no law. From 
the cradle to the throne it rules, and the 
destinies of nations have been sealed by its 



166 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr 

unreasoning demands. Not only has it 
touched tlie heart of humanity, but the great 
Infinity, Jehovah in heaven is the embodi- 
ment of that best of \drtues — ''God is love,^' 
and He so loved the world that he gave His 
only son for its redemption. '^ Love has had 
an important part in the Great Redemption. 
John says, "By it we know that we have 
passed from death unto life." 

Since love so much abounded among the 
disciples nothing could have been more ap- 
propriate than that they have some token 
whereby to manifest their love; for it can- 
not be known that anyone possesses a spir- 
itual condition if there is no literal sign. In 
the absence of any direct teaching of Christ, 
both Peter and Paul, influenced by the Holy 
Ghost, gave commandment concerning the 
form of greeting that the Lord designed to 
be perpetuated as a token of love among 
His disciples. 

From among the many forms of greeting, 
the Lord chose the one that nature has 
planted in the heart of man so firmly that it 
has stood as the token of love in all ages and 
among all people. Used as a christian 
greeting, Paul calls it an Holy kiss. 



THE HOLY KISS OF CHARITY. 167 

What therefore the Spirit prompted Paul 
to call holy, ought not to be beneath the ac- 
ceptation of any child of God who is striv- 
ing to approach a reasonable degree of holi- 
ness in this present life. There is no lack 
of command to establish this holy kiss as ob- 
ligatory upon the followers of Christ. 
Rom. 16: 16 — ''Salute one another with an 
holy kiss. ^' 1 Cor. 16:20 — ''Greet one an- 
other with an holy kiss.'' 2 Cor. 13: 12 — 
"Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.'' 1 
Thess. 5:26 — "Greet all the brethren with 
an holy kiss." 1 Pet. 5: 14 — "Greet ye one 
another with a kiss of charity." 

In addition to these commands we have 
the example of the Elders when they came 
down to the shore from Ephesus, to meet 
Paul who was on his way to Jerusalem. 
After Paul delivered to them a farewell ad- 
dress and commended them to God, they 
kneeled on the seashore and prayed, and 
wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed 
him. "-Acts 20: 37. Those who contend for 
an example in addition to the command 
have it in this. 

.As this is the natural manifestation of love, 
the apostles have given us both precept 



168 THE GEE AT EEDEMPTIOIS". 

and example tliat it is a Cliristian clut v . We 
may as well attempt to prove tliat love is 
not an essential to tlie Christian life as to 
contend tliat this ordinance may be set aside. 
But with many whom the sin of finding an 
excuse ''Doth so easily beset'' it is set aside 
because no definite time is stated when it 
should be observed. Though it is a very 
weak argument indeed, it is strong enough 
with some to do away with five command- 
ments and one example. But before we ac- 
cept such argument we will inquire, what 
shall we do with singing, and jDrayer, and 
many other religious acts, held as indispens- 
able duties of a Christian, for which no spec- 
ial time is stated ? AVhy do we sing ? or 
pray? or exhort one another? We sing 
when the sj^irit of praise has taken posses- 
sion of us. We pray when the s^^irit of 
thanksgiving or supplication is present; like- 
wise we exhort when the spirit of exhorta- 
tion abounds. Surely we are commanded 
to "quench not the S23irit." When should 
we greet one another with an holy kiss ? 
When the Spirit of love prevails ? Of course 
if you do not love your brother don't greet 
him and, Judas-like, desecrate God's holy 



THE HOLY KISS OF CHARITY. 169 

kiss; but remember, then and there, that you 
have the sure evidence that you have not 
yet ''passed from death unto life." 

But some one says,''The Holy kiss is only 
an outward sign of love and I can and do 
love my brethren just as much without it." 
Well that is good if you can do so, and per- 
haps you could, or at least think you could, 
if it were not for the word of God interfer- 
ing with it. O how many things might be 
done if the word of God did not interfere! 
The covetous man might swindle for pelf, 
the liar continue to deceive, the thief to 
steal, the murderer to kill, but the word of 
God steps in and calls a halt, and points to 
a better way. John says, ''He that loveth his 
brother abideth in the light."- I John 2: 10. 
''God is light,"(I John 1: 5,) therefore he 
that loveth his brother abideth in God. 
How do we know we love our brother and 
therefore abide in God ? Reverse the logic. 
If we abide in God we love our brother. 
This is true, but how do I knoAv that I 
abide in God and therefore love my brother? 

John lays down a certain condition and 
says, "Hereby know we that we are in him." 
I John 2: 5. The condition is this: "Who^ 



170 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

SO keepeth his word."" Then it is by keep- 
ing his word that we know we abide in Him 
and therefore love our brother. Who dare 
say these five commands are not His word? 
Who dare say he abides in God and loves 
his brother and yet does not keep His word ? 
It is therefore impossible to love yonr 
brother and deny him the Christian greet- 
ing. The rule that John gives us is infalli- 
ble. It applies with equal force not only in 
this particular case, but in every other case 
where the keeping of a command is in 
question. The keeping of His command- 
ments was the only evidence that the be- 
loved John would accept as proof that any 
one even knew God. For himself and faith- 
ful desciples he said, ''Thereby we do know 
that we know him, if we keep his command- 
ments." But of the false pretender he said, 
^'He that sayeth, I know Him and keepeth 
not his commandments, is a liar and the 
truth is not in him. ''-I John 2: 4. We can 
not abide in God and not keep his com- 
mandments. We do not know Him when 
we will not keep His commandments. 

Five times we have this Christian greet- 
ing commanded. Once to the Romans,twice 



THE HOLY KISS OF CHARITY. l7l 

to the Connt]iiaiis,once to the Thessalonians 
and Peter gives it in in his General Epistle 
to those scattered throughout Pontus, Gal- 
latia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Once 
we have it by example of the Elders 
from Ephesus. By this we notice, that it 
was not a local custom, but practiced by the 
the Gentile converts as well as the Jew, at 
Rome, in Palestine, and throughout Asia. 
Different nations have different prevailing 
customs of salutation, but from among the 
many God has chosen this one and enjoined 
it upon all who are in Christ Jesus through- 
out the world. Thus He established a 
uniform practice among all Christians. It 
is the keeping of God's commandments that 
gives to His people peace and prosperity. 
When Israel walked in the statutes of the 
Lord, her armies were in\dncible. Her 
fields produced abundance, and her years of 
Jubilee were celebrated with great joy in all 
the land. But when they neglected His 
word, the foe invaded their kingdom, led 
captive their bravest warriors, demolished 
their temple and their homes, and today the 
wailing cry of the despised downtrodden Jew 
is heard throughout the world. Well could 



172 THE GKEAT KEDEMPTIO]>r. 

the Prophet say/'O that thou had hearkened 
to my commandments, then had thy peace 
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the 
waves of the sea."" 

Look at the church of Christ as it was in 
the early days of primitive purity, when holy 
men spoke the oracles of God with tongues 
aflame with inspiration and every heart 
bounded with joy to do His will. Then 
look, when these men had passed away and 
others began to preach their opinion and to 
set aside the commandments of God. Divis- 
ions arose, strife ensued, M^ar followed. Car- 
nage and diabolical deeds in which alone 
devils delight to revel, disgraced the fair 
name of God's chosen Israel. 

Why all this? The Prophet's words again 
tell the sad story, '^O that thou hadst heark- 
ened to my commandments, then had they 
peace been as a river, and thy righteousness 
as the waves of the sea. 

It pleased God to take this common sal- 
utation and consecrate it for His service, and 
call it HOLY and establish it as a means to 
aid in the Great Redemption. AVhat God 
has consecrated and called Holy, let no man 
despise or reject. 



CHAPTEK II.— ANOINTING THE 
SICK. 



TN the plan of the Great Redemption God 
■^ has provided for the welfare of the body 
as well as of the soul. He has placed in it 
duties that Ave should perform for our own 
benefit and duties that we should perform 
for the benefit of others, as well as privi- 
leges of which we may avail ourselves. 

Every duty of the Christian should be 
looked upon as a privilege; for they are 
given to sinful men as a means whereby 
he may be able to work out his salvation. 

James, a servant of God and of the Lord 
Jesus Christ gives greeting to the twelve 
tribes which are scattered abroad and calls 
them ''My Brethren." In the 5th chapter 
of his epistle beginning at the 13th verse he 
says, ''Is any among you afilicted? let him 
pray. Is any sick among you? let him call 
for the elders of the church; and let them 
pra}^ over liim, anointing him with oil in the 



174 THE GREAT REDEMPTION, 

name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith 
shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise 
him up, and if he have committed sins, they 
shall be forgiven him." Here is a wonder- 
ful promise offered to the sick Christian. If 
the elders pray over him a prayer of faith, 
he shall be saved, and the Lord will raise 
him up, and if he have committed sins they 
shall be forgiven. What more does any sick 
person want? 

The Christian who takes God at His word 
fully believes that he means just what he 
says. To such a Christian no doubt James 
is stating this- 23romise. The person, then, 
who may exjDect to avail himself of this 
privilege is the one who fully appreciates 
the omnipotence of God and unwaveringly 
relies upon His immutable integrity in ful- 
filling His promise. 

In availing ourselves of this privilege or 
obeying this command, for it is a command, 
we should consider first whether we are 
worthy. That we may have committed sins 
does not disqualify us; for their removal is a 
part of the promise. 

First, we must know that we are sick, 
and not simply afilicted or distressed in body 



AlSrOIKTIT^a THE SICK. 175 

or mind by reason of some misfortune or 
loss that we have sustained. For this James 
says we should pray. 

•Then we should inquire, have we violated 
any of the laws of health ? Is there any 
remedy within our reach that we may ap- 
ply ? Have we done our part to cure us of 
our sickness ? This is not wrong, for since 
God has given us the care of our bodies, he 
has given us intellectual faculties which we 
should use with all diligence, and when 
they fail then are we to turn to him with 
our sickness. We thus give him double 
honor, once in diligently applying the means 
he has already given us and again in turn- 
ing to him by the direction of his word. 

Do we fully believe that God is able and 
that he will aid ? When we find ourselves 
by this examination qualified to call for the 
Elders and have them pray over us, anoint- 
ing us with oil in the name of the Lord, 
what may we expect when it is done and 
the blessings received ? Most certainly, to 
be raised up from our sickness, restored to 
health, and our sins forgiven. We know of 
no controvertible evidence to this conclu- 
sion. 



176 THE GKEAT REDEMPTIOl^. 

When Clirist sent the apostles out by two 
and two, as they went preaching that men 
should repent, they ''anointed with oil many 
that were sick and healed them.'' (Mark 
6:13.) Does any one doubt that their heal- 
ing was a physical one and that they were 
restored to physical health? When he sent 
out the seventy, two and two, he commis- 
sioned them to heal the sick, (Luke 10:9 ), 
and it is not at all improbable that they did 
so by the anointing with oil as the apostles 
had done when they were sent on a similar 
mission. 

That the anointing of the sick with oil 
was practiced in the time of Christ for the 
healing of the sick, and also delegated to the 
Elders of the church to which James wrote, 
warrants us to conclude with justifiable evi- 
dences that it was a practice sanctioned by 
Christ and perpetuated by the apostolic 
church. If it was worthy of practice and 
recommendation by inspired men, certainly 
the devout follower of the Lord ought to 
deem it worthy of all confidence, and fail 
not to avail himself of this offered means of 
grace. 

Most beautifully has God arranged the 



AKOIlSTTIlSra THE SICK. 177 

plan of the Great Redemption to meet the 
very extremity of man's depravity. In his 
unbounded love he has left no means of grace 
beyond the reach of sinful men. When sick 
in body and the soul burdened with sin he 
may call the highest authority of God on 
earth, the Elders, into his home and they as 
the instruments in the Almighty's hands may 
effect that which is a marvel in the eyes of 
the world. Blessed promise, whereby the 
sick are raised and the sinstained soul made 
free. Give God the praise. 



CHAPTER III.— EVERY GOOD 
WORK. 



I.— PRAYER. 



"And God is able to make all grace abound toward 
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all 
things, may abound to every good work." 2 Coro 
9:8. 

^ I ^HOSE wlio liave entered into a cove- 
^ nanted relationship with God, through 
faith in the merits of the great atonement, 
are ''created in Christ Jesns unto good 
works, which God hath before ordained 
that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:10. 
They are laborers in the Master's vineyard 
and should be found always diligently fol- 
lowing every good work. 

Paul's language in the text above, was 
addressed to those who had followed Christ 
in the regeneration, and by their zeal, had 
already provoked many to love and good 
works, while they stood ready awaiting 
Paul's directions to do still more. The 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 179 

Cliristiaii can never get too passively into 
tlie spirit of obedience to inspired instruc- 
tions. While the Gospel is silent in partic- 
ularizing upon many of the evils known to 
the present age, it is likewise silent upon 
the mode or manner of accomplishing much 
of the good known to be the duty of a 
Christian. 

It therefore becomes necessary for the 
Christian worker to draw near unto God, 
that he may receive that inspiration neces- 
sary to acceptibly perform the work; for 
''God is able to make all grace abound 
toward him^' for that very purpose. 

That one may draw nigh unto God so as 
to receive this grace, he must first be pre- 
pared to enter into His most holy presence. 
Paul (Heb. 10: 22, 23) states the qualify- 
ing conditions. He says, ''Let us draw near 
with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, 
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil 
conscience, and our bodies washed with 
pure water. Let us hold fast the profession 
of our faith without wavering; for he is 
faithful that promised." Having thus 
purged himself he is spiritually prepared to 
draw near unto Almighty God. 



180 THE GEEAt REDEMPTlOl^. 

The object of dramng near unto God is 
to supplicate Him at a throne of grace, — to 
pray; for it is through prayer that we re- 
ceive his grace. The undertaking of every 
good work should be preceded by prayer. 

God has an order in everything and thei'e- 
fore in prayer. Recognizing the wonderful 
privilege extended to fallen man, that he 
might approach and speak to God in prayer, 
Paul has been very particular in teaching 
upon that subject. He says, 'T bring my 
body into subjection.*" (1 Cor. 9: 27.) He 
had great reason for so doing; for he recog- 
nized the body as the 'temple of the 'Holy 
Ghost'' (1 Cor. 6: 19) and as the 'Hemple of 
the living God" (2 Cor. 6: 1(>.) To the 
Romans he said, 'T beseech you therefore, 
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye 
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable unto God which is your reason- 
able service." (Rom. 12: 1.) From these 
quotations it is seen that Paul held it of 
great importance in approaching God, to be 
prepared in body as well as in mind. To 
the Corinthians he speaks more definitely 
concerning their conduct during prayer. 

Read the 11th chapter of ]iis first epistle 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 181 

to the 16th verse. Let us examine the chap- 
ter. In verse 3 he makes these statements: 
''The head of (authority over) every woman 
is the man;'' "The head of (authority over) 
every man is Christ;'' ''The head of (author- 
ity over) Christ is God." Verse 4, "Every 
man praying or prophesying having his 
head (a part of the body) covered dishon- 
oreth his head (Christ.)" Verse 5, "But 
every woman that prayeth or prophesieth 
with her head (a part of the body) uncov- 
ered, dishonoreth her head (the man.)" 

Here is a plain statement that a man, in 
honor to Christ, must pray with his head 
uncovered. Ec^ually plain that a woman, 
in honor to the man must have her head 
covered; for, "if her head is uncovered, that 
is even all one as if she were shaven," which 
(v. 6) is a shame for her. 

Verse 13, "Judge in yourselves; is it 
comely (becoming) that a woman pray unto 
God uncovered?" Verses 14 and 15. Here 
Paul is drawing an argument from nature 
to substantiate his claims. He says that 
nature teaches that it is a shame for a man 
to have long hair. It shows him to be 
effeminate, not fully masculine. But for a 



182 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOIST. 

woman to have long hair is a glory unto her 
Nature teaches that woman should have a 
covering, in that long hair is given to her 
and not to man. 

It is evident that the long hair of the 
woman is not the prayer covering for which 
Paul is contending; for he speaks in verse 
5 of a woman praying with her head uncov- 
ered and says that it is even all one, it is the 
same, that is, it is just as dishonorable as if 
her hair was cut oflf, and he says in verse 6 
that it is a shame for her to have her hair 
cut off. [A little history here will aid us 
to understand Paul's expression. Disrep- 
utable women of ill fame in that time were 
known by their publicly appearing with 
their heads shorn; hence his statement that 
it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or 
shaven.] Verse 6. 

''But if any man seem to be conten- 
tious, we have no such custom, neither the 
churches of God." Contentious about 
what? The man praying with his head 
covered, or the woman with her head un- 
covered. "We have no such custom." 
What custom? Men praying with their 
heads covered or women with their heads 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 183 

uncovered. 

But should this covering be a special one, 
differing from the ordinary storm covering ? 
We answer, yes. Read carefully this argu- 
ment. When we enter our homes and are 
no longer exposed to the weather without, 
we lay aside our weather protecting apparel. 
Men and women alike do this. Especially 
do they do so when they are to sit at the 
table and partake of a meal. Society de- 
mands that we do this, and our taste in eti- 
quette teaches us that it is proper so to do. 
Therefore when we enter the house of God, 
the earthly tabernacle of our spiritual home, 
and as one great family sit down to the 
Lord's table, we ought to lay aside our 
storm apparel as we do at our homes; for 
we are approaching the most sacred place 
on earth, where we expect to hold sweet 
communion with high heaven. If ever there 
was a time when the Christian should 
breathe a prayer it is then; for no one 
doubts but that he is in the presence of Al- 
mighty God, and that angels from heaven 
are looking down upon the scene, while 
Christ is being honored and remembered. 

If, then, this ordinary weather apparel is 



184 THE GEE AT EEDEMPTIOJST. 

laid aside by both men and women, all have 
their heads uncovered. The men are then 
in a condition to pray. The women must 
cover their heads that they may appear be- 
fore God in his appointed way. 

Paul says, ^'For this cause ought the 
woman to have power,^' i. e. a sign of au- 
thority, ''on her head because of the angels.*" 
Why because of the angels? "They are all 
ministering spirits sent forth to minister for 
them who shall be heirs of salvation." Heb. 
1: 14. With this covering, or sign of au- 
thority, on her head, she signifies that she 
has accepted Christ and thus regained all 
that she had lost in her first great sin. 

Christ is at the head of all creation [ Jno. 
1:3; Heb. 1-3] and therefore the head of 
the woman, but she lost him as her head by 
her sin. A part of the curse pronounced 
upon her was that the man should now rule 
over her — should be her head. "And thy 
desire shall be to thy husband and he shall 
rule over thee.'*' Gen. 3: 16. By her sin 
she fell, and Christ no longer is her head. 
She is placed under the authority of her 
husband, he is her head. In this sense Paul 
said, "The head of every woman is the man." 



EVEEY GOOD WORK. 185 

But in Christ all that was lost is restored. 
The woman had lost the right to Christ as 
her head. Bnt now to show that she has 
accej)ted Christ and regained her right to 
claim him as her head she mnst put on this 
'^sign of authority »" With this covering 
upon her head she is no longer obliged to 
look upon man as her lord and head [1 Pet. 
3:6], but with perfect authority and with 
full assurance she may approach unto God 
and raise her voice in supplication unto Him 
in equal acceptance with the man. Thus is 
the grace of God made to abound to all 
alike. Man does not need the covering to 
reinstate Christ as his head; for in the trans- 
gression he had not lost that head. '^Adam 
was not deceived, but the woman being de- 
ceived was in the transgression.''' 1 Tim. 
2: 14. 

Prayer is the key that unlocks the treas- 
ures of God's grace and gives to man the 
power to do all things. ''Ask, and it shall 
be given you.'' Matt. 7: 7. ''And all 
things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer be- 
lieving, ye shall receive." Matt. 21: 22. 
''Whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will 
give it thee." John 11: 22. ''If any man 



186 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 

lack wisdom let Mm ask of God, tkat givetli 
to all men liberally, and npbraidetli not; 
and it sliall be given him.''' Jas. 1: 5. 

Tke promises are great and many; but 
that we may receive them, we must ask ''ac- 
cording to his will/' [1 John 5: 14.] That 
is, in his appointed way, as he has com- 
manded. John assures us that the condi- 
tion of receiving is keeping the command- 
ment and doing those things that are pleas- 
ing in his sight. 1 John 3: 22. 

Sometimes we ask and do not receive. 
James 4: 3 says, it is because we ask amiss. 
Either because we are not in a proj)er con- 
dition to ask, or because we ask him to do 
things for us in a way he has not promised. 
For example, if we are hungry and ask him 
to turn stone into bread for us, he ^^411 not 
do it; for he has given us faculties for pro- 
curing bread in another way. AVe must 
ask that He may aid us in procuring what 
we need, according; to His wav of oivino; it. 

Having drawn near unto God and asked 
His guidance, being assured that "He is 
faithful that has promised,*' we are thereby 
"pre23ared unto every good work." 2 Tim. 
2: 21, 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 187 

II.— LITERAL DUTIES. 

"This is a faithful saying; and these things I will that 
thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed 
in God might be careful to maintain good works. 
These things are ^ood and profitable to men." Titus 
3: 8. 

This entire epistle of Paul to his spirit- 
ual son Titus is full of authoritative state- 
ments and admonitions relative to the con- 
duet of those v^ho had accepted the faith, in 
the island of Crete. Among the many things 
mentioned he especially lays emphasis upon 
the doing of good works, and commands 
Titus that he affirm constantly to them the 
importance of carefully maintaining them; 
for he says they are ''profitable to men.'' 

But it may be asked what are we to un- 
derstand by good works? Paul says, 
(1 Cor. 10: 31) '^Whether therefore ye eat 
or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the 
glory of God.'' ''For (Eph. 2: 10) we are 
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
unto good works." We learn by this that 
in whatsoever we do we must have right 
motives, a pure heart and unfeigned faith, 
that in the end God may receive the glory. 
We understand then that all manner of du- 



188 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIO]^. 

ties, inward or outward, thoughts, words or 
nctions, when done in a good conscience to- 
ward God or man in obedience to His law, 
constitute these good works, whereby God 
is glorified,(l Peter 2: 12), and of which 
his peculiar people are zealous (Titns 2: 14.) 

It should be remembered that an outward 
work, however good it may appear, and 
however beneficial it may be to the recipi- 
ent, if it be a work of charity, unless ac- 
companied by a pure inward motive does 
not glorify God. It may Justify us in the 
sight of men, but nothing more. But if ac- 
companied with a pure motive and unfeign- 
ed faith, God is glorified and we justified in 
his sight. Surely if the Christian has faith 
in God it is his duty to show that faith to 
the world. 

James says, (2: 18), ''I will shew thee 
my faith by my works."" This is the only 
way that men may or can see our faith. 
''AVhat doth it profit, my brethren, though 
a man say he hath faith, and have not 
works ?^' (James 2: 11) By the doing of 
work faith is made perfect. (James 2: 22.) 
We do not need a catalogue naming the 
good works to be done; for the child of God 



EYEEY GOOD WOEK. 189 

led by tlie Holy Spirit will find them in 
''whatsoever his hands find to do/' The 
Gospel names many of them, and many are 
not named. Some are mentioned by pre- 
cept, others by example. Throughout, the 
Book teaches the underlying principle of 
obedience, both inward and outw^ard as the 
way to the kingdom, while the righteous- 
ness of Christ is the sole meritorious cause 
of entering. 

The duty of doing good works is impera- 
tive to all Christians. No other one thing 
is so oft repeated and so emphatically ex- 
pressed as is the promised reward based up- 
on the condition of hioioing and doing, 
James (4: 17) says ''To him that knoweth 
to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.'' 
The idea is too prevalent, even among Chris- 
tian professors,that to have faith, think well, 
and do no bad act is all that is required. 
But no one will accept that kind of an in- 
terpretation to the language of Christ when 
he says, "whatsoever ye shall ask that will 
I do." All expect that he will perform a 
literal act. For example, when a congre- 
gation meets in special prayer by reason of 
some pestilence or famine, they expect that 



190 THE GKEAT REDEMPTION. 

God will do some literal act and alleviate 
their wants. It is right that they should 
do so. On the other hand when God asks 
us to do some good work He exj^ects that 
we will perform the literal act. 

James gives us an illustration. He says, 
^'If a brother or sister be naked and desti- 
tute of daily food and one of you say to him, 
de]3art in peace, be ye warmed and filled, 
notwithstanding ye give them not those 
things which are needful to the body, what 
doth it profit ?'XJa^^s 2: 16.) '^But be ye 
doers of the word and not hearers only de- 
ceiving yourselves' '(ch. 1: 22.) 

Good wishes, benedictions and prayers 
won't feed the hungry, or clothe the naked, 
or visit the sick, or minister to the father- 
less and the widow, or do the ''many good 
works" that Jesus hath shown us from the 
Father.(John 10: 32.) ''Not every one that 
sayeth unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth 
the loill of my Father which is in heaven." 
Matt. 7: 21. 

The Christian's mission is to work. He 
has been created in Christ Jesus for that 
purpose. To lift up the fallen, soothe the 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 191 

sorrowing, advance the kingdom of Christ 
by a holy conversation and a virtuous con- 
duct, and show to all the world by acts of 
charity that Jesus indeed reignetli. 

The good work to be performed is two- 
fold in the nature of the benefit derived from 
it. The w^ork to be done, apart from the 
ordinances of the House of God, brings to 
the one w^ho receives it, a temporal blessing 
as well as, if received in the right spirit, a 
spiritual benefit. To the doer of the good 
work it brings a blessing. ''Whoso look- 
eth into the perfect law of liberty, and con- 
tinueth therein, he being not a forgetful 
hearer but a doer of the word; that man 
shall be blest in his deed." James 1: 25. 

The law regulating the doing of good 
works is called a law of liberty; for it gives 
to him, who accepts it and is thereby born 
again and made a child of God, great liber- 
ty. It liberates him from sin and makes 
him free to do whatever he desires to do; he 
is bound by no law, he is under no restraint. 
The prohibition of God's law has no effect 
upon him; for he only desires to do right, 
he is righteous and the law was not made 
for him. 



192 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

He who lias followed Christ in the regen- 
eration has entered upon a wondrous stage 
of liberty, and in all his actions he will do 
what free and ransomed souls led by the 
Holy spirit delight to do. 

Ecclesiastical bodies may legislate and en- 
force obedience, but it matters not to him. 
They can only succeed in keeping the names 
of sinners upon the same roll with the saints. 
The saint is free so long as he looks into the 
perfect law of liberty and continues therein, 
not forgetting, but doing the work that he 
is, by that law, at liberty to do. The prom- 
ise is, he shall be blest in his doing. Glori- 
ous libert}^ to work. Let all the Church of 
God arise and in the liberty wheremth 
Chiist hath made us free, be active in the 
work until the scepter of His kingdom shall 
rule the world, and the anthem of the ran- 
somed free, reverberate from shore to shore, 
until every heart shall know and every 
tongue confess the Lord God Omnipotent 
Teignetli. 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 193 

III.— CHKISTIAN FORBEARANCE. 

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and be- 
loved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of 
mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one anoth- 
er, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quar- 
rel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do 
ye. And above all things put on charity, which is the 
bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule 
in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one 
body; and be ye thankful. Col. 3: 12-15. 

The family of God is a body of saints, 
whose spiritual life is a reflection of the 
meekness and love of the Lord Jesns Christ. 
Each individual member of this body is be- 
gotten of God, (1 John 5: 18;) created in 
Christ Jesns nnto good works, (Eph. 2: 10;) 
sanctified by the Holy Spirit, (Rom. 15: 1() 
2: 3;) made priests and kings, (Rev. 1: (>;) 
No higher honors can be bestowed than 
those which are attributes of a Christian's 
life. His very body becomes the dwelling 
place of God and the temple of the Holy 
Ghost. Not only does he magnify the Son 
of God incarnate, but the love of the Father 
and the communion of the Holy Spirit as 
well, dwells richly in him. 

It is, then, to be expected that in the fam- 



194 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOISr. 

ily of God, there is a STiperliuinan harmony, 
as "anbroken as the finite limitations of mor- 
tal excellency will permit an approach to- 
ward that of the trinity in heaven. It is 
permitted, that man may live a righteous 
life on earth, though not altogether with- 
out sin, because of fleshly imperfections and 
the e^dlness of earthly environments; yet, 
with this as an incumbrance, and the innate 
power of evil to wage a ceaseless conflict 
with his soul, he is expected, and the power 
is given him, to approach unto a degree of 
holiness entitling him to be called a son of 
God. [1 John 3: 1.] 

If the harmony among saints on earth is 
broken, it is sure evidence that the commu- 
nion of the spirit has been withdrawn, and 
the peace which Jesus left us is flown. 
When this occurs some one has fallen from 
his high estate* He has not maintained the 
high degree of excellency possible for him 
to maintain. He has not done his best. He 
allowed the adverse power to gain the mas- 
tery over him, when his hei^t effort would 
have won for him the victory. But he is 
now fallen, and is no lonoer his own mas- 
ter, the evil has possessed him, and it now 



]EVEKY GOOD WORK. 195 

rules him. It has found out his weakness, 
his infirmity. The evil spirit now begins 
to express itself through him. We hear it 
in his words, and see it in his actions. Here 
is the trying point for the other members of 
the family of God — the Church. 

Though our brother has fallen and per- 
haps grievously transgressed, shall we be- 
come offended at his word or action ? We 
could not have become offended, had he not 
fallen; for while he and we are both in a 
pure state, the eternal harmony and peace 
of the Godhead is in us. But now he has 
fallen; we have not. He has shown his weak- 
ness; we have proven our strength. AVhat 
shall we do to restore him? ''We then that 
are strong, ought to bear the infirmities of 
the weak.'' (Rom. 15: 1.) 

Here is our opportunity. But how shall 
we proceed? Shall we avoid him and show 
him that he is an offense to us? Shall we 
tell his faults abroad, while at the same 
time we greet him cordially ? Shall we tell 
them to the church ? Shall w^e ponder them 
in silence, fearing, lest to mention them, we 
might offend him? What sliall we do? 
The wisdom of the serpent and the harm 



196 THE GEEAT BEDEMPTIOK. 

lessness of the dove, must be blended here. 

How readest thou the WORD? Paul says, 
(Gal. 6:1) ''If a man be overtaken in a 

fault," (and our brother now is,) ''ye which 
are spiritual, restore such an one in the 
spirit of meekness; considering thyself lest 
thou also be tempted.'' Just so. This is 
the act we are trying to do. Now Paul tells 
us how to do it. Read his answer: "Above 
all things put on charity [love].'' "Let the 
peace of God rule in your heart." "Let the 
mind of Christ dwell in you richly in all 
msdom." "Put on bowels of mercy, kind- 
ness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long- 
suffering." 

Yes, Paul, but you have not told us what 
to do toward our brother; all this is to be 
performed within ourselves. Even so; when 
this is performed, Paul will not need to give 
us any further instructions. The truth of 
the old adage, ^''Love %d\11 find tlie way^^ 
will assert itself, and our brother will be 
reclaimed. 

But, for the benefit of those who are slow 
to act upon a principle without a precept, 
the apostles have given ample instruction 
how to proceed. The case recited above is 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 197 

not one of personal trespass, consequently, 
the 18tli chapter of Matthew is not to be 
applied. The case is one in which our 
brother did not maintain in himself the 
''unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,'' 
Eph. 4: 3. He did not because of some in- 
firmity, some certain weakness, by reason of 
which the enemy overcame him. Christ's 
address to Peter, when he told him that 
when he was himself converted, he should 
strengthen his brethren, is applicable to Ug 
here; here is our brother who needs it, and 
we, being converted, are the very persons 
who are to do it. 

Now, to strengthen a thing is not to ex- 
pose its weakness by putting to a crucial 
test the little strength it has. The little 
strength may be carefully exercised, and 
thus given an opportunity to grow and de- 
velop strength. Ah, here is the secret of 
success. Our brother must be strengthened 
by our kind words, our acts and deeds of 
love, and given an opportunity to develop 
the strength he yet has. He fell, only be- 
cause he was not stimulated to his utmost 
ability. No one will fall who puts forth 
his best effort. But of times it requires the 



198 THE GREAT REDEMPTIO]^. 

stimulating influence of kind words, and 
right deeds, from others, together with the 
sense of a definite responsibility to draw out 
that best effort. 

Without giving him an opportunity to 
develop his strength, our strengthening him 
is only, as it were, adding a prop to support 
him in his weakness without making any 
provision whereby he may grow stronger. 
We prop up the tender young tree that has 
been broken by the storm, and then bring 
to bear upon its remaining vitality, fertiliz- 
ing influences, that in course of time it may 
be able to stand alone in the severest storm. 
So with our brother who has fallen. This 
requires forbearance, i. e., an exercise of 
patience, bearing with; for, this good work 
of restoration requires, on the part of the 
true Christian, the exercise of the utmost 
caution, that the strongest type of every 
Christian grace may be brought to bear. 
The importance of the work cannot be over- 
estimated; for to convert one from the error 
of his way is to save a soul from death. 
Jas. 5: 20. 

To be able to practice Christian forbear- 
ance, we must not only be able to know in 



EVERY GOOD WOEK. 199 

what our brother has fallen, but as well 
must we be able to know what act of his 
merits the appellation of an offense. My 
brother cannot offend me, so long as I can 
find no fault in the thing he does; therefore 
I have no occasion to become offended when 
my brother does that which is right, how- 
ever displeasing the right may be to me. 
But if I am offended because my brother 
does an act which is not wrong, though my 
judgment and the prestige of my past train- 
ing satisfies me that it is wrong, I am the 
weak oue. I am weak in not being able to 
see that my brother's act was not of evil. I 
am weak in not being able to bear with him 
in that which / thought likely to be his 
weakness. If I become offended, I thereb}' 
prove that I am weak; for the strong should 
hear the infirmities of the weak, and I could 
not do it; hence I am weak. 

The idea of an old veteran of the cross, 
who is rooted and grounded in the faith, 
becoming offended because one of the lambs 
of the fold, in the weakness of his spiritual 
youth, erred from the truth, is irreverent, 
and it should put to open shame a soul so 
luke warm. 



200 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIN^. 

Is it plausible that the child should equal 
the father in piety? Does the mother be- 
come offended when her child, in its youth- 
ful buoyancy, overste23S the bounds of more 
matured decorum ? No, but with a heart of 
love she admonishes it at each repeated 
transgression, and her hope is never gone, 
her effort never lacking, though she sees it 
going down to certain ruin. Thousands are 
the sons and daughters who, by such per- 
sistent efforts, have been saved from ruin, 
and launched at last into the active duties 
of an honorable life. ''Eternal vigilance is 
the jDrice of success,'' no less in the school 
of religion than in that of the world. Oh 
ye elders, and fathers and mothers in Israel, 
why stand ye idle? Is ruin better than re- 
demption? Have you lost your hope ? ''Ye 
are the salt of the earth.'' Has it lost its 
savor ? God forbid ! 

There is a difference in being grieved and 
in being offended. All are grieved, or 
should be, when one has erred from the 
truth, but none should be offended. Jesus 
never taught that we should be offended, 
wounded, hurt, because of the weakness of 
our brother. But he knew our weakness 



EVEEY GOOD WOEK. 201 

and liability to become offended; hence he 
admonishes with an awful penalty attached, 
(Matt. 18: 35) that we forgive our brother 
his trespasses. 

Paul teaches a far reaching principle 
when he says, ''If meat make my brother to 
offend, I will eat no flesh while the world 
stands, lest I make my brother to offend."" 
1 Cor. 8: 13. The lesson is all important 
The facts to be learned are these: (1) That 
we shall not engage in an indulgence which, 
though not sinful in itself, another, by rea- 
son of his lack of knowledge, the prejudice 
of his past training, or from other causes, 
thinks to be sinful, and is thereby injured. 
(2) That we must abstain from lawful priv- 
ileges, when they might be misunderstood 
by others, and thereby they be encouraged 
and justified in wrong doing. (3) That the 
weakness and fallibility of the conscience 
of others must be recognized, and their spir- 
itual welfare be made our chief concern, 
even though it be at the sacrifice of our own 
lawful privileges. 

A lawful privilege is not a Christian priv- 
ilege when it influences another to take lib- 
erty in doing some wrong thing which, in 



202 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIOIN^. 

his ignorance, lie holds to be no more wrong 
than the act that we have done. Then if we 
exercise in the liberty we have, it becomes 
to him a stumbling block (v. 9) and 
through our knowledge we cause him, for 
whom Christ died, to perish (v. 11.) This 
is a sin against our weak brother, and when 
we sin against the brethren and wound their 
weak consciences, we sin against Christ 
(v- 12.) ''The wages of sin is death.'' 

If all the family of the brotherhood of 
Christ were equally endowed with knowl- 
edge, there would need to be but little self- 
denial practiced; and if all were filled with 
the spirit of truth, there would be no desire 
to do the things of evil. Offenses would 
then be a thing unknown; divisions, strife, 
and jealousy would be no more. But since 
for this we cannot hope, we must meet the 
problem as it is, and labor the more dili- 
gently to maintain the unity of the sj^irit in 
the bonds of peace. 

To be wronged and bear it, is better than 
to be avenged, even though it be by a legal 
means. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, 
peace, long suffering, gentleness, kindness, 
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 203 

against sucli there is no law. Gal. 5: 22-23. 
Each individual member of the visible body 
of Christ, who has died to sin and been 
made alive in Christ, possesses each of these 
characteristics of holiness. 

If each one who claims a membership in 
the invisible body; God's true church, will 
magnify these fruits in his daily walk, then 
will the song of Solomon be understood and 
all the world be made to know that the 
church of the true and Living God is ''she 
that looketh forth as the morning, fair as 
moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an 
army with banners.''' — Cant. 6: 10. 

Every true follower of the meek and low- 
ly Lamb of God hails with rapturous de- 
light each appearing evidence that the sol- 
diers of the cross have laid down the carnal 
shield and battle ax and are marching on 
triumphant unto glorious victory, bearing 
one anothers burdens. 

O day of bliss! O joy Divine 

When I controll this self of mine. 

With Christ-like love I will forbear, 
My brother's burden I will share. 



rr 



204 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOI^. 

TVo SUBMISSION. 

Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive 
from the dead, and your members as instruments of 
righteousness unto God. — Rom. 6: 13. 

Before a man accepts God, he is in rebel- 
lion against Him, if not by open acts of 
transgression his spirit strives against that 
of God and thns defies Him, opposing what 
God would establish in his heart and life. 
Whenever the spirit of man does not bear 
witness to, or is not at peace with, the Spirit 
of God as revealed in His word,, man is in 
rebellion to Him, and in this condition his 
service, if he serves at all, is not pleasing 
and acceptable. Such are the ''stiff necked," 
the "heady," having wills that are strong 
and inflexible, unyielding to anything that 
opposes the course of their own inclinations, 
and as such inclinations are evil disposed 
they sooner or later lead the individual into 
literal acts of disobedience. These acts are 
transgressions of the law, which is sin and 
the result is death; for "The wages of sin 
is death." 

This condition arises because of the de- 
praved nature of man, and it is found only 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 205 

in those who have come to a knowledge of 
the truth but failed to accept it. The indi- 
vidual who has not come to the knowledge 
of the truth, though he does not serve the 
will of God, does not do so because he does 
not know that will. He may not be self- 
willed or stubborn, but in his ignorance he 
serves the enemy of God and of his soul. 
To such the grace of God abounds; but not 
so with him who knows the will of God and 
willfully violates it. Such a will has come 
in contact with the will of God and planted 
itself against it as against an enemy. Such 
a will must be broken. It must yield to the 
dictates of the will of God and su})mit itself 
to be controlled by it. This is self-cruci- 
fixion, the death that Paul died daily. 

When the stubborn a\ ill is thus destroyed 
the spirit of God enters. The new creature 
is born and we are delivered from the body 
of death. Such a yielding places the indi- 
vidual in the hands of God as clay in the 
hands of the potter, to be moulded and fash- 
ioned according to His will. 

With this spiritual relation existing l>e- 
tween man and God, man is now' ready to 
enter upon the active literal duties peitain- 



206 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOK. 

ing to the Christian life. But immediately 
lie finds himself confronted with another 
problem. In order to serve God in all His 
appointed ordinances, he finds that he must 
associate himself with others who have like- 
wise yielded themselves to become servants 
of God. 

In this association he comes in contact 
not only with the individual will of others 
but with the will and government of the in- 
stitution, the church as a body. He now 
must learn not only that the institution is 
ordained of God, but that its government is 
placed in the hand of the faithful with 
power to execute its will. This peculiar 
church power, which Christ has given to the 
church on earth, was given in these words, 
"And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it 
unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the 
church, let him be unto thee as an heathen 
man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, 
Whatsoever ye shalj bind on earth, shall be 
bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall 
loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." 
Matt. 18: 17-18. He has in this way, for 
the government of the members of the body, 
empowered the church to demand submis- 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 207 

sion to its decisions. 

The church is the agent or instrument of 
God through which He works to reach the 
erring and lead them back to obedience and 
submission to Him. This He does not alone 
for the unity and peace of the church, but to 
break the stubborn wills of men and bring 
them into a state of passive submission that 
they may be wholly at His service in all 
things. The Apostle Peter, in his first epis- 
tle, second chapter, from the thirteenth to 
the fifteenth verse, aims at the same result 
though he starts from a different standpoint. 
By direct command he enjoins upon all 
submission to every ordinance of man, even 
those enforced for temporal purjjoses. '^Sub- 
mit yourselves to every ordinance of man 
for the Lord's sake; whether it be to the 
king as supreme; or unto governors as unto 
them that are sent by Him for the punish- 
ment of evildoers, and for the praise of them 
that do well. For so is the will of God, 
that with well doing ye may put to silence 
the ignorance of foolish men. ''The principle 
is thus well defined. When the spirit of 
submission predominates, every literal duty 
will be readily accepted and willingly ob- 



208 THE OEEAT EEDEMPTION". 

served. The Churcli in exercising its power 
and authority is not as a tyrant domineering 
over his subjects; for it has as its object not 
its own gratification but the welfare of the 
individual for whom it acts. 

Everything acted upoD, or bound, by the 
church may not have in itself an immediate 
merit, and indeed it need not have any merit 
at all, if it but instills principles of submis- 
sion to superior authority it accomplishes a 
good result, and for that alone the church 
is warranted to hold and enforce those dis- 
tinctive, though peculiar, tenets which aside 
from this seem to have no immediate merit. 
He Avho by actual yielding acquires a spirit 
of willing submission to the higher author- 
ity, purchases by his sacrifice, for himself, a 
''good degree;" for with this principle con- 
trolling his spirit he is not only enabled, 
with all confidence to look up to the Church 
for counsel and protection, but recognizing 
the still higher authority of Divine Revela- 
tion as revealing the will of the Father 
above who rules over all, he gives himself 
up wholly to its requirements and thus be- 
comes a willing submissive servant of the 
Most High. 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 209 

We shall now consider the subject more 
in detail, particularly with reference to tem- 
poral results which are always, in a large 
measure, conducive to future happiness. 
Granting that the present life is an index of 
the future, and that each achievement is as 
a stepping stone to higher attainments, the 
Christian's sojourn here should not only be 
to himself a foretaste of heavenly joys, but 
it should be a model, as a light set in the 
darkness, to enlighten and aid others that 
they too may experience the same joys and 
obtain the same eternal goal. To accom- 
plish this, is to arrive at the acme of a chris- 
tian's missionary duties. Upon the principle 
that the water of a fountain cannot rise 
higher than its head, or the taught higher 
than the teaching, so the christian cannot be 
a model in the things in which he himself 
is deficient. This necessitates that the ad- 
vocates of a higher christian life, and a more 
willing yielding to prescribed requirements, 
first prove themselves to be partakers of 
these advanced religious qualities. This 
makes the matter personal with each mem- 
ber of the Christian Church, and l)inds upon 
all separately whatever is the duty of each 



210 THE GEEAT EEDEMPTIO]^. 

indhddually. Eacli of course has Ms spec- 
ial duties witli reference to the office where- 
unto he has,through the church, been called, 
but no one is exempt by reason of his of- 
fice, from the common duty of willing sub- 
mission to higher authority. 

Age and office both have their place in 
the ascending scale of the Christian econ- 
omy. Peter teaches the younger to submit 
themselves to the elder, (1 Peter 5: 5) while 
at the same time Paul teaches that a resj)ect- 
ful decorum on the part of the fathers to- 
ward the children is likemse becoming. The 
main object of forbearing with one another 
is that each may be won to proper submis- 
sion to the other and thus establishing peace 
\yhich contributes largely in unifying the 
force of the entire body. 

When each individual member of the 
body, the church, can and does willingly 
submit to the performance of whatever duty 
the superior power enjoins upon him, then 
the Church presents a phase of harmony 
that not only increases its happiness and en- 
hances its value as a coveted retreat from 
the storms of life without, but it adds to it 
a force and power that is mighty in the tear- 



EVERY GOOD WORK. 211 

ing down of the strong holds of satan, in 
subduing the stubborn will of man, and in 
bringing all into subjection to the will of 
God. 

The result of obedience to rightful au- 
thority is first peace, then happiness. Not 
only are we at peace with one another when 
each perform with a willing mind his duty 
to his fellow- man, to his church and to his 
God, but we are at peace with the church 
and with God. No contentions, no strife, 
no forebodings of evils to come. Nothing 
but the spirit of God pervading all, and 
overshadowed by his love each heart respon- 
sive to His will echoes back the glad re- 
frain, ''My Father worketh hitherto and I 
work." John 5: 17. 



Give me a contrite spirit, Lord, 
Submissively, Thy will to do, 

That every act and thought and word 
May be both gentle, kind and true. 



CHAPTER IV. — KEEPING UNSPOT- 
TED FROM THE WORLD. 



'•Pure religion a ad undefiled, before God and the 
Father, is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in 
their affliction and to keep unspotted from the world.' 
James 1: 27. 



I ^ HE world to the Cliristian professor is 
^ anything that hinders his spiritual 
progress. A divine life implies that the soul 
is fi^ee from any stain or pollution that con- 
tact with the world may leave upon it. To 
keep unspotted from the world the Chris- 
tian must so walk in relation to it that his 
spirit will not be infected with its evils. 

The spirit of man is a gift of God. It 
fell from grace and it is alone through the 
merits of the g^reat atonement that it is ao^ain 
restored to favor. Man is made an heir to 
immortal o:lorv bv followinof Christ in the 
regeneration. This implies that he severs 



Ul^SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 213 

relationship witli the prince and power of 
the world and henceforth owns an allegiance 
to the laws of God. His spirit and life is 
conformed to the principles of that law, and 
so long as he is not influenced by the prin- 
ciples of the things of this world, he is at 
peace with God and is not spotted with the 
evils of the world. 

The ways of the world are at variance 
will the will of God, and a spiritual acqui- 
escence in conformity to them places upon 
the soul an allegiance to them. Thus he 
who would follow Christ and the world 
finds himself under the bondage of two 
masters, both of which he cannot wholly 
serve. When he renounced the world and 
became a child of God he was without spot, 
that is, no principle of any device of the 
world had any place in him. James was 
writing to such persons when he said, ^'Pure 
religion and undefiled before God and the 
Father, is to keep unspotted from the world."" 
As a matter of convenience, and that we 
may get more clearly before the reader the 
principle features of the teaching of Christ, 
along these lines, that are so largely disre- 
garded l)y the Christian world, we divide 



214 THE GREAT EEDEMPTI01N-. 

the subject into the following heads and 
will treat each one separately. 

1. NONCOIN^FORMITY. 

2. NoiN^swEARiisra. 

3. Use of the civil law. 

4. Peace prijn^ciples. 

5. AiN^Ti- secrecy. 

I.— NON-CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD. 

Paul, in writing to the Romans, said, ^'And be not 
conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by 
the renewing of your minds, that ye may prove what 
is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.'^ 
Rom. 12: 2. 

Here Paul explains by what means a 
Christian may keep himself unspotted from 
the world, and be enabled to transform his 
life and conduct from his former inclina- 
tions and practices, into a willing and active 
obedience to the will of God. He says this 
is done by the renewing of the mind. 

Since the work of grace is a spiritual one, 
and the doings of men are only outward ex- 
pressions of the power that controls the 
body; it follows that the outward expres- 
sion is an evidence of the spiritual work 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 215 

within, and since no one will, uninfluenced 
by any other cause, act contrary to his spir- 
itual promptings, in order to act acceptibly 
toward God, the spirit within must be in 
harmony with His. When the will or heart 
is right within, all will be right without. 

But it may well be asked, How do I know 
that my heart is right? If I dare not rely 
upon my conscience, which is dangerous in 
the extreme, what safe ground have I? The 
question is easily answered. 1 John 2: 3 
says, ''we do know that we know him, if we 
keep his commandments.'' This same princi- 
ple will apply to the question. If we will- 
ingly, and from the heart, with desire, do 
his will, as revealed in His Word, then we 
know that we abide in him, and our heart is 
right. Paul to the Romans [6: 17, 18] says, 
''Ye have obeyed from the heart that form 
of doctrine which was delivered you. Be- 
ing then made free from sin, ye become the 
servants of righteousness.*" 

But having thus disposed of this question, 
it brings another equally as vital. If I can- 
not obey from the heart the form of doctrine 
found in the Word, that is, if I cannot from 
the heart be willing, or have a desire to do 



216 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS". 

it, what can I do ? This condition of the 
mind is evidence that it has not been re- 
newed, and the question is, how can I renew 
it? 

That I cannot find myself willing to do 
the teaching of the Word, does not necessar- 
ily imply a lack of faith. When Christ 
came to Peter to wash his feet, Peter was 
not willing, but he had all faith. But 
Christ made him willing by teaching him 
the great importance of being obedient, and 
assured him that he would know its mean- 
ing hereafter. Peter yielded obedience to 
the command or will of the Master, and we 
do not doubt that after he went on engag- 
ing in the practice, he fully realized the 
benefit. It teaches this, that if we have 
faith, by being obedient to his will, we will 
by and by, be changed in mind, be trans- 
formed, and made to realize the benefit to 
be derived from what we once thought to 
be useless. Paul adds testimony to this 
when he says, (1 Cor. 9: 27) 'T keep under 
my body and bring it into subjection.*" He 
ruled it so as to perform the duties he knew 
to be in keeping with the will of God. 

There is no surer way of moulding the 



UlN^SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 217 

mind and fashioning it after the mind of 
Christ than by a constant practice of the 
things he sets before ns to do. Having the 
mind then renewed, the task of being "not 
conformed to this world'' is no longer diffi- 
cult. 

Having reached this conclusion relative 
to the change of mind being the basis of all 
nonconformity, it seems that further argu- 
ment would be unnecessary, if strictly heed- 
ed, were it not for that class of inquisitive 
minds who are always wanting to know 
to what extent a good work must be carried, 
or to what particular thing the principle 
must be applied. They are generally those 
who do not understand the principle and 
have not much desire to learn it; hence 
nothing much less than legislative influen- 
ces will cause an outward expression of an 
apparent inward change or renewal of mind. 

Inward motive is that at which God looks, 
and unless it is pure and right, no one can 
expect a reward for the outward expression. 
Nevertheless if by legislative influences the 
individual strives to keep under his l)(>dy, 
and bring it into subjection, by and l)y, 
God's good spirit striving to aid, the renew- 



218 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

al of tlie mind will be accomplislied, and, 
like the Romans (6: 17, 18), being made 
free from sin, lie will become a servant of 
righteousness. 

The particular things in which the Chris- 
tian should not be conformed to this world 
are as many as the world has things con- 
flicting with the doctrine of Christ. Or as 
many as the world has customs, the influ- 
ence of which have a tendency to bring a 
result contrary to that brought out by the 
teaching of Christ. When we test our de- 
gree of transformation by the rule that 
causes us to do the things of Christ, because 
they are his teachings, whether we under- 
stand their efficacy or not. Then we will 
know to what extent we have accepted 
Christ. And on the other hand, if we test 
our conformity to the world by the things 
we do because they are the fashion, custom 
or device of the world, then will we know 
to what extent we are the servant of the 
Prince of this world. 

II.— NON-SWEARING. 

Swearing is taking the name of God in 
vain. To take the name of God in vain is 



UISTRPOTTED FROM THE WOELD. 219 

to uselessly employ that sacred name when 
the occasion does not require it, and when 
no good is expected to come from its use. 

Swearing is either profane or civil. The 
former is that use of the name of God or his 
attributes; of the name of Christ, or of the 
Holy Ghost that is in common vogue by 
wicked persons for sinful purposes. The 
latter is that form of swearing made legal 
by the law of the land. It is intended to 
bind upon the person thus swearing, the 
most rigid obligation that, in the matter in- 
volved, his words or actions may be relied 
upon as truth unquestionable by man, for a 
departure from which he becomes answera- 
ble to God. 

The former is condemned by all as being 
unchristian, ungodly. The latter is not con- 
demned, thoughtlessly engaged m, and even 
upheld by many good meaning Christian 
professors. In this as in all things else, we 
should turn to the Word of God. What it 
upholds we should uphold; what it con- 
demns we should abstain from. 

God has at all times forbidden false 
swearing (Lev. 19: 12), and swearing by 
any other name except his own (Ex. 28*13). 



220 THE GEEAT REDEMPTIOjST. 

He did allow in ancient times tliat men 
might swear by Ms name (Dent. 6: 13); but 
since the fulfillment of the law and the 
prophets, and the establishment in Zion of 
''a foundation stone, a tried stone, a pre- 
cious corner stone, ^' which is Jesus Christ the 
Righteous, the former dispensation has 
passed away. The time of that lack of the 
true knowledge of God and of heavenly 
things, God winked at, (Acts 17: 30), but 
now commandeth men everywhere to repent 
and believe the Gospel, which is his will 
given to us by his Son. We are now com- 
manded to hear him in all things whatso- 
ever he shall say unto us. 

On the subject of legal swearing he is 
not silent. He says in Matt. 5: 33, 34, ''Ye 
have heard that it hath been said by them 
of old, Thou shalt not foreswear thyself, 
but perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But 
I say unto you, swear not at all^ Here we 
have his teaching which we are commanded 
to hear and obey. It was spoken in direct 
reference to performing oaths unto the Lord 
under the former dispensation. If he has 
abolished anything from the law, certainly 
he has abolished the performing of oaths. 



UKSPOTTEB FROM THF WORLD. 221 

He is not speaking here of profanity, or tak- 
ing the name of God in vain, but to per- 
forming oaths in the manner prescribed by 
the law. 

History confirms that the apostles and 
early Christians observed this teaching lit- 
erally. Have we found some new way of 
interpreting the meaning of the teaching of 
Christ, unknown to the apostles? Nay ver- 
ily; but the way of the world has so en- 
grafted itself into the hearts of men, that it 
puts at naught the teaching of Christ. ''Let 
J' our communications be yea, yea; nay, nay; 
for whatsoever is more than these cometh of 
evil." (v. 37.) What is this that is move? 
Conforming to the custom of the world in 
taking an oath. It cometh of evil. James 
says (5: 12) ''But above all things, my 
brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, 
neither by earth, neither by any other oath;" 
Why? "Lest ye fall into condemnation." 
But some one is ever ready to ask. Where 
is the sin in it? With equal propriety he 
might ask, Where is the sin in breaking 
any of God's commands? 

Since the law of our country has made 
provision whereby the followers of Christ 



222 THE GREAT EEDEMPTION. 

may give testimony in court by affirmation 
according to the teaching of Christ and the 
apostle, he who swears by the uplifting of 
his hand or kissiug the Bible or by any 
other oath, does so by choice. He chooses 
the way of the world in preference to the 
way of the Gospel of Christ. He is spotted 
by the world. "Pure and ud defiled religion 
before God and the Father is this, to keep 
unspotted from the world." Choose ye 
whom ye will serve, Christ or the world. 

III.— USE OF THE CIVIL LAW. 

By the civil law we mean that rule of con- 
duct prescribed by the Supreme power of 
the country in which we live. It is the priv- 
ilege of every person, free-born into the 
world to be equally protected from the en- 
croachments of others upon their rights and 
to be equally protected, with every other 
person, in the prosecution of w^hatever his 
vocation or his position in life, entitles him 
to or his industry and acquisition has made 
him heir unto. 

Men in their mutual governments have 
wisely provided for the maintenance of these 



UlSrSPOTTED FROM THE WORL"n. 223 

equal privileges. In all ages it has been 
found necessary to the advancement of civil- 
ization that all of the same state or nation 
conform to a certain fixed rule of conduct 
and it has been found that the nearer this 
rule has equalized individual privileges, the 
more prosperous was the country. Long 
before Christ taught the principle, it was 
recognized that in the great body of human- 
ity we are all one. One in aim, one in purpose, 
one in the equality of our privileges. But 
the harmony of mutual right is often broken 
in upon by those who disregard the law of 
nature and seek to acquire unto themselves 
the rights of others; hence laws are made as 
a safeguard for those who may be molested. 
Laws were originally made as a defensive 
means, but since men willfully transgress 
them they have become a prosecuting agent 
to bring to justice the offenders. 

The civil law is the outgrowth of the law 
of nature established in the hearts of men 
prior to any positive precept. It is the pro- 
duct of the best intellect of the w^orld. Not 
only had its origin in God but He also has 
sanctioned it. Like every other institution 
universally ordained among men for their 



224 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOI^. 

mutual good, it is the abuse of it tliat is dis- 
pleasing to God. Men of the world and 
worldly minded abuse it. The intellectually 
depraved, those in whom the dignity of their 
souls rise no higher than to see in it a means 
of retaliation, use it to satiate their spirit of 
revenge. The law indeed says^'An eye for an 
eye, a tooth for a tooth," and the man of the 
world grasps the opportunity and says ''Re- 
venge, get even." This is the way of the 
world Goliath -like, it laughs to scorn the 
humble christian principle of choosing rath- 
er to suffer for a season than to place its 
foot upon the neck of the helpless victims. 
The way of the world must be avoided; it 
leads to ruin. 

Paul positively forbids the use of the law 
in adjusting matters among brethren. In 
the sixth chapter of First Corinthians he 
says, ''Dare any of you, having a matter 
against another, go to law before the unjust 
and not before the saints?" In the course 
of his reasoning, he reminds them of the 
high attainments of the saints even to the 
judging of Angels, and upbraids them for 
going before unbelievers and setting to judge 
those that are least esteemed in the Church; 



UKSPOTTED FROM THE WOELD. 225 

that is, those worldly judges who make no 
profession of the Christian religion, and 
who are held in 16w esteem by the chnrcli 
of Christ. 

(Verse 7.) ''Now therefore there is utterly 
a fault among you, because ye go to law one 
with another. Why do ye not rather take 
wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer your- 
selves to he defrauded? This is the tenor 
of the Apostle's teaching on this subject, and 
when he said,''I speak to your shame. There 
is utterly a fault among you/' He must 
have recognized a grievous error among 
them. What was it? The shame was that 
by their actions, there was not one among 
them sufficiently wise in knowledge of God 
to judge the smallest matter. The fault was 
they resorted to the ways of the world in di- 
rect violation to the teaching of Christ, who 
had said, [Matt. 18,]''If thy brother shall 
trespass against thee, go and tell him of his 
fault between thee and him alone.'' ''But 
if he fail to hear thee [alone] take with thee 
one or two more;" "and if he neglect to hear 
them, tell it unto the Church: ])ut if he neg- 
lect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee 
as an heathen man and publican." How do 



226 THE GEEAT REDEMPTION. 

this? (Kom. 16: 17.) ''Mark ttem that 
cause divisions and offences, contrary to the 
doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid 
them." 

The Corinthians had not heeded this 
teaching of Christ and therefore could not 
heed this teaching of Paul.. No wonder 
there was utterly a fault among them, and 
likewise is there now among Christians who 
forget this teaching of Christ, ignore the 
authority of the Church, and resort to the 
civil law when wronged. Certainly in the 
family of Christ there is sufficient wisdom to 
decide honestly and according to truth and 
right in any matter of controversy. 

The law is for our protection and physi- 
cal welfare, and when our rights and privi- 
leges are incroached upon hy the nefarious 
intrigues of a wicked world, we have a right 
like Paul when he appealed to Rome, to ap- 
peal to the ''powers that bef but never for 
the offences of one whom the church holds 
as a brother in Christ. 

Christians among themselves are govern- 
ed by the law and spirit of Christ and do 
not need the restraining influence of the 
civil law. 



UKSPOTTED FEOM THE WORLD. 227 

IV.— PEACE PRINCIPLES. 

"Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one miod, 
live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be 
with jou." 2 Cor. 13: 11. 

"The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them 
that make peace." James 3: 18. 

"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Col. 3: 
15. 

Peace is the evidence of a good conscience 
toward another. It signifies that antago- 
nistic elements and conflicting principles are 
dormant. It is even more. Life and life 
have become genial and concordant spirits 
have coa^lesced. The first definition may be 
applied to individuals. The second to or- 
ganizations or nations. The third to man 
in his relation to God. 

When the temper rufiles, the heart quick- 
ens its pace, the eye sparkles, the face flush- 
es, when an indescribable emotion ruling 
within dispels with resentment the cherish- 
ed thoughts of another, there is no peace 
there. There is no consenting inward tes- 
timony bearing evidence that the two indi- 
viduals are capable of enjoying, without a 
clash, the joint possession of the same thing 
at the same time. This condition is con- 



228 THE GEEAT REDEMPTION. 

science in rebellion against the thing it was 
not taught to appreciate or was taught to 
resent. 

A conscience is good toward another 
when in the other it finds no cause of offense, 
and is in itself no cause of offense to the 
other. 

When this condition abounds there is 
peace such as qualifies individuals to enjoy 
the association of one another. It is this 
condition of good mil toward one another 
that binds the hearts and lives of Christian 
men and w^omen into one inseparable body, 
making the aims of one the common aim 
of all. 

Peace as applied to organizations or to 
nations consists only, in a civil sense, in a 
commercial or political tranquility. A na- 
tion is a dead arbitrary mechanism incapa- 
ble of being exercised by a conscience such 
as is characteristic of an individual. An 
outward open statement of differences is 
necessary to a declaration of hostilities. A 
nation does not have conscientious feeling 
such as an individual may experience, yet 
when the national pulse throbs in unison, 
either to sustain or destroy national inter- 



UlSrSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 229 

course, the result is as inevitable as when* 
the ojjposing elements are at play in indi- 
viduals. 

It matters not what the motive is, wheth- 
er good or bad if that in each is the same, 
peace will be established and the result fol- 
lowing will be the enjoyment of a condition 
of tranquility. From this condition of tran- 
quility the livliest state of activity may be 
expected; for all the forces of both are uni- 
ted for active work and there is no antago- 
nistic element. 

Peace, or the harmonious blending of the 
life pulse or motive power of nations, pro- 
duces a spontaneous flow of the real germ 
of the national characteristic of each to the 
other. In this way each is made like the 
other, the weaker being more changed than 
the stronger, when two that are equal in 
essential qualities each become like tlie 
other neither will be like it was before; each 
will have new features added and the 
strength of both will be combined in one. 

Grand and triumphal will be the progress 
of civilization, intellectual culture and social 
refinement, when the nations of the earth 
will thus be at peace. The maddening de- 



230 THE GEEAT REDEMPTIOj^. 

moralizing influence of martial array, the 
shedding of Llood, the desolating of the 
home and its happiness, will then be ex- 
changed for the elevating refinements of the 
pursuits of peace which build up the home 
and secure to it added pleasures. 

The highest type of peace together with 
all that attends it, is that found existing be- 
tween a soul, ransomed by the blood of the 
Lamb, and its maker. A soul thus redeem- 
ed is as it was when God's primeval edict 
went into effect, ''Let us make man in our 
own image;" for then it was like Him and 
now again it is so. There is more joy in 
heaven because of this than because of all 
other things; for when peace with God is 
established it is also established with the 
Son and with the Holy Ghost and with all 
the heavenly host; for that which touches 
the Infinity touches likemse the infinite 
host of His dependencies. 

But what is this peace? It is rest. ''There 
remaineth therefore a rest for the people of 
God.*" It is a rest. (i. e.) a cessation from 
difficulties caused by an estrangement from 
God. It is the peace that passeth under- 
standing. To abide in the shelter of the 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 231 

Rock is to rest in His embrace and be at 
peace with Him. At peace witli God. It 
signifies that our lives are swallow ed up in 
His. He being the all controlling, we have 
lost our sinfulness and are transformed, 
yielding to Him. 

War is the antonym of peace, whether it 
be among individuals, between nations or 
m rebellion against God. Whenever the 
harmony that should prevail is destroyed 
war is the result, whether it be manifest in 
strife, or in insiduous combat, or in obsti- 
nate indifference. Concerning the first in- 
stance Paul says, "Follow peace with all 
men, and holiness, without which no man 
shall see the Lord.'' Heb. 12: 14. 

Concerning the second James 4:1, says, 
"From whence come wars?'' All who en- 
gage in them can answer as James answers: 

"Come they not hence even in your lusts 
that war in your members?" Yes, this is the 
answer. "Ye lust and have not, ye kill and 
desire to have." Concerning the third the 
Lord says, Isa. 1: 15. "When ye spread forth 
your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; 
yea, when ye make any prayers I will not 
hear," There is no condition of war as opposed 



232 THE GKEAT EEDEMPTIOJS^. 

to peace tliat is justifiable, when it is caused 
by the carnal desires of an earthly lust. Our 
warfare is not with carnal things, therefore 
we dare not use carnal means. There is but 
one great justifiable controversy, but the 
warfare is spiritual and the chief weapon is 
the sword of the spirit, the Word of God. 

In the Christian economy there is no pro- 
vision for carnal warfare; for "they that are 
Christ^s have crucified the flesh with the af- 
fections and lusts." Gal. 5: 24. 

It is evident that those who witnessed the 
teaching of Christ while on earth under- 
stood well that he taught the principle of 
nonresistence. Here are there own state- 
ments John 11: 47-48. "Then gathered 
the chief priests and the Pharisees a coun- 
cil, and said, w^hat do we ? for this man do- 
eth many miracles. If we let him thns alone 
all men will believe on him; and the Ro- 
mans shall come and take away both our 
place and our nation.''' They feared that by 
the miracles he performed all men would be 
caused to believe in his teaching and be- 
lieving they would obey and wonld not re- 
sist an enemy even though it were to retain 
their homes and their nation. This was a 



UlN^SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 233 

just caii'^e of fear for the priests and Phari- 
sees whose position and office depended up- 
on maintaining their government. 

They remembered that Christ had taught, 
Matt. 5: 39-40, ^'resist not evil; but whoso- 
ever will smite thee on thy right cheek turn 
to him the other also, and if any man will 
sue the at thee laAV and take away thy coat 
let him have thy cloak also." And they 
feared that a general acceptation of their 
doctrines would endanger their personal 
safety. They were yet carnal, they had not 
been renewed by the spirit of God, they 
were in their natural state and therefore not 
capable of receiving this teaching, for '^The 
natural man receiveth not the things of the 
spirit of God." 1 Cor. 2: 14. The Chris- 
tians warfare is with the sword of the Spir- 
it, not with carnal weapons against the car- 
nalities of life but against principalities and 
powers and spiritual wickedness enthroned 
upon the heart. When these are destroyed, 
the heart is as if it were baptized with fire, 
renovated, cleansed, purged and the lusts 
thereof are destroyed. Then can he follow 
peace with all men, and the works of right- 
eousness will be his chief delight. 



234 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOJNT. 

v.— SECRET SOCIETIES. 

Cause of their origin, present value, and final 
result. 

To investigate the claims of any organ- 
ization or society, three searching questions 
may be asked : ( 1 ) From what cause did it 
oiiginate? (2) What is it accomplishing 
now? (3) What will be the final result? 
To test a society by these questions is to 
call out from it a vindication of its claims, 
both as to the need of its origin, its present 
proficiency and its hope of the future. Any 
society that cannot give a satisfactory an- 
swer to each of these questions is not worthy 
of the patronage and support of a free peo- 
ple who are at liberty to labor unrestrained 
for their own present and future welfare, 
and for the welfare of humanity at large. 

Test the Christian religion by these ques- 
tions and it in each instance has a definite 
and all-sufficient answer. This test alone 
is sufficient to establish it as the only social, 
moral and religious system worthy of sup- 
port,s ince it has the direct edict of the 
Supreme Being, Grod himself, with reference 
to the need of its origin. His promise of a 



TJISrSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 235 

most glorious final result and the living evi- 
dences of its present efficiency, there re- 
mains no controversy as to the rite of its 
existing, the paramount good it is doing, 

and the ultimate glory awaiting. 

First, the Christian religion is here be- 
cause without it, man would have been for- 
ever lost. It had its origin in God's great 
love for us. '^God so loved the world, that 
he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso- 
ever belie veth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life." John 3: 16. We 
were fallen and were without hope in the 
world. Save for the sacrificial offering of 
Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, slain to 
redeem us we were irretrievably lost. No 
institution upon earth ever had a clearer 
title or a better right to exist among men 
than that through which we are readapted 
and entitled to be called the sons and 
daughters of God. The world has no 
greater need than this, and in proportion to 
the needs of the world, so should be the 
prominence of the institution that supplies 
them. 

Second. The good it is now accomplish- 
ing cannot be expressed in words. Multi- 



236 THE GREAT KEDEMPTIOlSr. 

plied millions are by it daily enjoying tem- 
23oral prosperity. Financial, educational 
and social influences have enconij)assed the 
earth, propelled by the fundamental princi- 
ples of the Christian religion. All the 
good accomplished by the societies of a 
worldly origin and nature taken together 
is but a shadow and mockery .when com- 
pared to the world wide efficiency of that 
which God hath ordained. The Christian 
religion would be worthy of acceptation by 
all men everywhere if this were the only 
result it accomplished, or the only object it 
had in view; but this is only the beginning 
of its usefulness, only a temporal means to 
demonstrate its rite to exist in the world, 
and to lead men to anticipate the glorious 
fulfillment of its promises in the world to 
come. 

Third. Its answer to the question. What 
will be the final result ? is found not only in 
the peace and heavenly joy experienced in 
the heart of the man of God, but likewise in 
the multiplied testimonies of the inspired 
writers, and in the oft repeated promises of 
the Son of God. 

The secret Lodge system can give no such 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 237 

answer. To the first question it must an- 
swer that it had its origin in the evil de- 
signs of men, and that the first application 
of the principles of secrecy, was the first 
result of the first transgression. When our 
foreparents sinned in the garden, they did 
so simply by overstepping the bounds of 
their privileges. Evil had entered their 
hearts, and the first impulse after they had 
sinned, was to keep it secret from God. 
T^^'in sister it was with the sin, only the 
younger of the two. With this as the start- 
ing point, the application of the principle 
became more and more frequent as the sins 
of men multiplied. The principle of se- 
crecy has no noble origin or worthy prece- 
dent to entitle it to respect among men. 

The thing it attempts to do is the very 
thiug God does not want done. True, men 
are depraved and need a garment to hide 
their inward nakedness; but there is no de- 
pravity that the Christian religion is not 
able to meet, and for which it was not given 
to us; hence there is no just cause why any 
other institution should spring up and at- 
tempt to do that which pi'operly l)elongs to 
the Christian Church. By the secret prin- 



238 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOIN'. 

ciple, tte sinner seeks to escape the penalty 
for Ms wrong doing by hiding the wrong. 
By the Christian principle, we seek to es- 
cape the penalty by removing the wrong. 
A cognate principle with the secret system, 
is to clothe in mystery and to keep hid from 
public and divine inspection the real cause 
for which the system is working. It is a 
natural consequence following the sinful dis- 
position of man. Our foreparents acted 
upon this principle when they hid them- 
selves from God. They hid because they 
had sinned, and in hiding sinned again. 

Man has become wise in his efforts to sin 
as well as in many other things. When the 
desire to do wrong now enters him, he takes 
the principle of secrecy, as it were, by the 
forelock; that is, he hides himself before he 
sins as a means of protecting himself in the 
sin. The principle of secrecy is the out- 
growth of iniquity, the child of sin. It 
came about because of sin, not that it might 
rectify the wrong, or make atonement for it, 
but that it might hide the wrong and save 
the evil doer from exposure. Not that it 
might destroy the evil or kill the motive 
that prompted the individual to commit the 



tJlSrSPOTTED FKOM THE WORLD. 239 

sin, but that it might cause him to appear 
as without the sin, thus making of him a 
hypocrite, a 'Vhite washed sepulcher.'' 

Thus the prime original cause of secrecy 
is found in man's desire to appear as with- 
out sin when he has sinned. How different 
this is from the very nature of God, and 
from the whole teaching of his Word. God, 
who in his abundant goodness, free and 
open in all his purposes, pours out upon us 
all, indiscriminately, unnumbered blessings. 
The copious rain descending, the genial 
sunshine, the balmy warmth of springtime, 
the refreshing summer dews, and in a mill- 
ion other cadences, by voice of the songster, 
or rippling rill, or in the ever changing hue 
of blade or bud or bloom, he expresses his 
open-hearted, free benevolence. 

How piteous in comparison is the stinted 
benevolence of the secret system, chained 
and hampered by a thousand prohibitions 
against the free and open dispensation , of 
the good it professess to have in its posses- 
sion. The good now being accomplished 
by the secret system, is antagonistic to the 
best interest of the Chiistian Church. 

While on the one hand a limited amount 



240 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS^. 

of benevolence is distributed, and usually at 
a cost of two-tJiirds of the whole amount set 
apart for that purpose. On the other hand it 
is thwarting the work of the Church which 
by its economic system it can apply its be- 
nevolences at a cost of less than two 
per, cent of the amount appropriated. It is 
depriving the needy of the two-tliirds and 
squandering it in regalia and sumptuous 
reveling. 

The Lodoe system is not onlv detrimental 
to the accomplishing of the greatest good 
temporarily, but its baneful spiritual inHu- 
ence is still more appalling. Not unfre- 
quently is the carnal aj)petite satiated at the 
expense of the home, its necessary comforts 
and its ha]3piness, with no return in tempor- 
al or spiritual good, but with a positive 
growth in morbid sensualities. The baneful 
effects of the system do not stop here. Its 
temporal depravities touch also the spiritual 
nature of the participants. It does not pre- 
]3are men for discipleship at the feet of Je- 
sus. Its objects and purposes are of a tem- 
poral nature. Its benevolences do not carry 
the thankful spirit of the one who receives 
them back to the Fountain Head and Giver 



TTlSrSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 241 

of al] good, but centers it wholly upon tlie 
lodge or order immediately performing the 
charitable act. It thus leads away from 
Christ instead of to Him, and creates a filial 
endearment for an institution of ignoble ori- 
gin, standing in open opposition to the na- 
ture of God and in direct violation of the 
teaching of His word The Lodge system 
cannot maintain that it is accomplishing a 
creditable degree of permanent good; for 
that which it does accomplish is only a hin- 
derance to the greater good that could be ac- 
complished with the means it controls and 
misapplies. 

It is conceded everywhere that the Church 
is the permanent social fabric of the world 
as well as the spiritual home of the people 
who eventually will dwell in the kingdom 
of God in heaven. It establishes the moral, 
intellectual, and temporal welfare of the 
world. It is enabled to do so because of its 
high and holy origin and the nobleness of 
its purpose. No one can be benefitted by an 
institution beyond the scope of the possibil- 
ities of that institution. An institution that 
is of a worldly origin and the limitation of 
its purposes are temporal^ has its possilulities 



242 THE GKEAT EEDEMPTIOlSr. 

limited wholly to present temporal achieve - 
ments. Sucli institutions when employed as 
anxilliaries to the Higher institution, the 
Christian Church, may with credit perform 
their mission. But when they, as does the 
Mosonic lodge, declare that within them- 
selves, is found ''All that the soul of man 
desires,'' they cannot be auxiliaries to the 
church, but they pose as all-sufficient within 
themselves, independent of the Christian 
Church, and therefore erect a plan of re- 
demption, altogether foreign from that es- 
tablished by the Lord Jesus Christ. They 
thus offer another way of gaining the soul's 
one great desire, viz, to enter heaven at last. 
This cannot be; for Christ has said, and His 
words are true, ''I am the way: no man com- 
eth unto the Father but by Me." 

It follows then that the Lodge system is a 
means of deception. Overstepping the scope 
of its true possibilities, it pretends to fit men 
for future bliss. It is, permit me to say, a 
devise of the wicked one with which to en- 
snare the unwary and lead them into ulti- 
mate ruin. Satan is very wiley and because 
of the inborn desire of the soul of man to fit 
itself for future life he offers this as a sub- 



IJKSPOTTEB FROM THE WORLD. 248 

fetitute to that which he knows to he the 
true way that God has provided for the re- 
demption of the world. 

Aside from this faint pretense, the system 
offers nothing in the way of future happiness 
other than that which is claimed by the athe- 
ist or the common moralist. The theory 
therefore upon which the various secret sys- 
tems are founded is utterly deficient in its ans- 
wer to the three searching questions: 

(1.) From what cause did it originate? 

(2.) What is it accomplishing now? 

(3.) What will be the final result? Since 
the cause of its origin is not a worthy one, 
and the work it is now accomplishing is not 
commendable, and its eternal prospect stands 
absolutely without a single promise, it fol- 
low^s that the institution is not such as 
should find favor among men professing 
godliness. 



244 THE GBEAT KEDEMPTIOlSr* 

Effect of the Lodge system upon Civil government. 

Patriotism. 

We liold in common witli all manldnd 
the grand eternal privilege of free access to 
tlie temple of trutli and all knowledge re- 
vealed from Deity to man. Tliougli aa c 
may never know in full all tke good that 
we are keir unto, yet tke privilege to do so 
is ours, and no eartkborn social system kas 
any rigkt to debar any individual from en- 
joying kis portion of tke good because of 
inabilities wkick ke cannot overcome. 

We kold it our duty to discern and estab- 
lisk tkat true relation witk one another 
necessary to secure tke present temporal 
welfare of all. Tkat tkis end may be accom- 
plisked governments are establisked and tke 
rising generations are taugkt to realize tkeir 
merits. Tkese governments are establisked, 
based upon tke wisdom of men, and tkeir 
judgment is tke kigkest tribunal of autkor- 
ity. Tkese governments differ in different 
countries but all wko live loyally kave an 
attackment to tkeir country peculiar to tkeir 
ideal of government. Tkis attackment is 
called patriotism. Wken men fail to realize 



UlsrSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 245 

tlieir ideal tlieir patriotism is weakened. In 
the time of Ilannibars invasion, when the 
Roman soldiers saw their nation's long cher- 
ished ideal trampled under foot and dis- 
graced they were ready to sell their swords 
to the highest bidder. 

Each nation has its peculiar characteris- 
tics of patriotism. We are Americans and 
living in the American age, have our patri- 
otic characteristics on the American style. 
It is strong in proportion to our attachment 
to the American principles of government. 
But before we can measure the strength of 
our patriotism, w^e must know what the 
principles of our government are, and how 
fully we have been educated to appreciate 
them. 

There are two causes by reason of which 
our love of country may never develop into 
a sacred tie of permanent loyalty. 1st, the 
principles may be such that we cannot har- 
monize them with our individual likes and 
dislikes in which instance there can be* no 
patriotic attachment. 2nd, If the principles 
are such that we could harmonize our lives 
with them, yet if we have affiliated ourselves 
with some other institution, foreign to and 



246 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOJN^. 

different in principle, we cannot, while we 
are loyal to this institution, permit an un- 
wavering loyalty to be developed for our 
country and its government. 

In reviewing the effects of the Lodge 
system upon our civil government, it is nec- 
essary to hold up collaterally the underly- 
ing principles of each. This we now pro- 
ceed briefly to do. I refer, first, to the Dec- 
laration of Independence of July 4, 1776. 
That immortal document is prefaced by the 
self-evident truth that all men were created 
equal, and that all are equally amenable to 
each other for a maintenance of that equal- 
ity. The fundamental principle upon 
which our government was founded is, that 
all men are equal claimants to whatever God 
has allowed them to possess and control, ir- 
respective of humbleness of birth, physical 
deformity or mental depravity. It invites 
all alike to overcome their hindrances, and 
to rise by individual excellency to possess 
the highest gifts from the hands of the peo- 
ple. It does more: it reaches down to those 
who are needy and lends them aid and asks 
nothing in return. By this benevolence has 
many a man of meaner birth seen the day 



UKSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 247 

star of hope arise, and following in its wake, 
he has gained a prominence not unenviable. 
Whose heart could not throb mth pa- 
triotic pulsations, when blessed with a gov- 
ernment that supplies the wants of the needy, 
yet gives due honor to all their merits ? 

But how is it with the Lodge system ? It 
professes to teach patriotism, or love of 
country, but on quite a different plan, yes, 
and from a different principle. It should 
be remembered that the jplan is not the 
principle^ but only a means to bring out the 
result by reason of the principle. The re- 
sult will be related to the principle. If, 
then, the Lodge plan brings out a result, 
and that result be attachment to the princi- 
ple, and that principle is distinctively a 
Lodge principle, and different from the 
principle of our civil government, the re- 
sult cannot be true patriotism. 

But do the plans differ? Verily, the 
Lodge says to the poor, the man of liumble 
birth, and poor in this world^s goods. Ac- 
quire wealth, then come and join us; pay for 
the privilege and then we will help you. 
The poor cannot be members of the Lodge 
and pay the exorbitant re(piirements. It 



248 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

says to the physically deformed, Cure your- 
self , and pay for it yourself, and then you 
may be a member of our fraternity. It says 
to him who is mentally weak, Seek another 
asylum until you are healed, and then you 
may receive the benefits of our mystic fold. 
Thus the plan upon which the Lodge sys- 
tem operates, excludes all those who should 
have help, and they must go elsewhere to 
find it or continue to suffer without it. 

But wherein do the principles differ? 
The plan prefaces or reveals the principle. 
Our American system of government teaches 
that all men are, by virtue of their being, 
equal, that is, they have an equal right to 
all of good that this life may give, and that 
by virtue of that right, are one common 
brotherhood, and therefore each is bound to 
aid his fellowman. The Lodge system 
teaches that all are not equal, that is, have 
not an equal right to all of good, and there- 
fore not brethren, in the great common uni- 
versal sense, but that each must qualify 
himself, independent of any aid from the 
system, for it offers no aid except to those 
who have previously aided it. Now where 
is the element of instilling 23atriotism or 



UlSrSPOTTED IKOM THE WORLD. 249 

love of country in either plan or principle? 
If there is none, (and there is not) then the 
institution must be foreign to the American 
principle of government, and hence detri- 
mental to true American patriotism. 

If, then, governments are established and 
maintained for the social temporal welfare 
of all its citizens alike, whatever institution 
of a temporal nature, teaches them other- 
wise, is therefore detrimental to the best 
interests of the government. It follows 
likewise that, since no two institutions with 
opposite principle can work together and 
produce the desired result in both, the 
Lodge system is an undermining force, de- 
stroying the vitality of the nation by w^ean- 
ing away its citizens in establishing their 
loyaHy to it, and thereby weakening their 
devotion to the nation as the chief social 
system for temporal welfare. 

The loyal member of the secret fi'aternity 
finds himself bound by the most rigid obli- 
gations to promote the welfare of the frater- 
nity and its members, irrespective of the 
stigma of reproach that may be placed upon 
the government for apparent failures in it 
to meet out justice when it was due, which 



250 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

failure the government was forced into, be- 
cause of the Lodge member keeping his ob- 
ligated faith with the Lodge. Thus the 
government is criticised and censured by 
those who are not familiar with the Lodge 
and the plan upon which it works. The 
government is made to bear the illegal re- 
proach while the Lodge, the real cause, is 
allowed to go not even suspicioned. In this 
way the Lodge has become the means of 
causing true loyal citizens to lose confidence 
in the government, patriotism is destroyed, 
love of our free American institution wiped 
out, and hearts are made ripe for the recep- 
tion of the seeds of anarchy, all because the 
members of a social system, opj)osed in prin- 
ciple to our glorious government, remained 
loyal to the Lodge, fraud or no fraud. 

PEKJUKY. 

The oaths administered by many secret 
fraternities are the most diabolical impreca- 
tions ever dropped from the lips of men. 
When a man must be stimulated by threats 
of physical violence, to the extent of having 
''his body severed in twain,'' "his tongue 
pierced with a hot iron," or ''torn out by 



UI^SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 251 

the roots/^ '^his heart exposed to vultures," 
etc., adinfinitum, in order to insure the keep- 
ing of his plighted faith, he must be regard- 
ed as being very low down the order of 
creditable moral veracity. Yet it is all done 
in the boasted name of ''fellowship," frater- 
nal -brotherhoodism. The taking of an oath, 
even legal, is in itself bad enough, and not 
at all permitted for a Christian. Yet when 
they are unscrupulously taken and the num- 
ber of them multiplied, they become still 
more and more obnoxious to the laws of 
God and man. 

Every individual who has arrived at the 
age of manhood and is qualified for mem- 
bership in the Lodge, has already become, 
in the fullest sense, a citizen of the countrv, 
and many such persons are also sworn offi- 
cers of the government and ordained officers 
of the Church of Christ. They are not, 
therefore, men, isolated from all social con- 
nections and affiliations, who for the first 
time assume relations with others when they 
apply for admittance into the Lodge. 

All honorable minds admit that we are 
not alienated from social duties and individ- 
ual obligations in promoting the welfare of 



252 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS^. 

our associates and of tlie community in gen- 
eral. These and like obligations rest on all 
of us by virtue of our being. Citizenship is 
not only a matter of patriotic sentiment, 
national pride and devotion to country, but 
it is practically asserted in our claims for 
protection, in the adjudication of temporal 
affairs, in our demands for suffrage, in hold- 
ing office and administering the affairs of 
the country. 

In some cases these privileges are restrict- 
ed, or rather the authority to engage in them 
is reinforced by an oath of loyalty to the 
country in performing them. Now since 
men are thus citizens of the nation and hav- 
ing primarily taken upon them, in conse- 
quence of this citizenship, vows of loyalty 
to the national institution, they owe to it 
first of all, their unbiased fidelity. The 
social relationship into which we are thus 
placed, has a stronger demand upon us than 
any fraternal system can impose by all the 
rigor of its oaths. 

In taking the oath for admittance into the 
Lodge, their former vows are not annulled, 
and since the Lodge oath is exactly opposed 
to these vows it is perjury to take it. It is 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 253 

perjury because, outside of the Lodge, in 
vows already taken, are expressed the high- 
est temporal obligation that man can 
owe to his fellowman by virtue of their citi- 
zenship. To break these former vows is 
perjury. To deny them is to break them. 

Not only is this condition brought about 
by temporal affiliation, but membership in 
the church expresses an affiliation of the 
most high and solemn nature. And all the 
more so is a man, who by formal consecra- 
tion, has been set apart to serve in the Gos- 
pel ministry. This consecrated relationship 
is recognized as affecting his whole life, 
touching every department of his being and 
transforming it wholly to an undivided ser- 
vice in spiritual things. If any vow can be 
taken more binding and sacred than another, 
surely this surpasses all others; yet when 
such an individual, as sometimes is the case, 
asks for admittance into the Lodge, the fra- 
ternal vows are held up as of transcending 
importance, and the poor, deluded, blinded 
victim yields himself a willing sacrifice, de- 
nying his former vows which antedate and 
far out-value the sweeping one which he now 
accepts. If it were perjury to break the 



254 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSf. 

former vows, it is perjury to deny tliem, and* 
it is tlie culmination of tlie very acme of 
perjury to swear tlie very opposite to them 
and thus take an oath to break or deny 
them. 

A right and honorable vow taken, or an 
oath performed for a good purpose and in 
faith, cannot be annulled by any subsequent 
oath of opposite significance ; for if the first 
is right the second is not, and the second 
cannot repeal or annul the first; hence it 
only serves to break or deny the first, and 
to break or deny an oath or vow is perjury. 
Again, taking an oath is an appeal to Al- 
mighty God. But to appeal to him twice 
in petitions that contradict is an outrageous 
insult before the throne of justice. 



UK8P0TTED FROM THE WORLD. 255 



THE LODGE SYSTEM AS OPPOSED TO THE 
CHEISTIAN RELIGION. 

*^I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the 
earth; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, seek ye me 
in vain. I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare 
right things.''— Isa. 45: 19. 

"Hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the 
beginning." — Isa. 48: 16. 

"Wherefore if they shall say unto you. Behold, he is 
in the desert; go not forth; Behold, he is in the secret 
chambers; believe it not." — Matt. 24: 26. 

"What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in the 
light: and what ye hear in the ear8,that preach ye upon 
the housetops."— Matt. 10: 27. 

"I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter 
things that have been kept secret from the foundation 
of the world."— Matt. 13: 35. 



From these scriptures it is evident tliat 
neither God nor Christ has spoken anything 
or in any way revealed anything to man that 
should be kept secret. They also reveal the 
true nature of the Deity in the free and open 
manner in which He deals with all mankind 
alike. He is no respecter of persons and 
whatever He has given to one He has made 
it the privilege of all to enjoy alike. 

Aside from His positive declaration that 



256 THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 

He has not spoken at any time in secret, the 
fact that He has at all times dispensed 
his temporal blessings npon both saint and 
sinner alike, is alone sniRcient to counteract 
the idea that He at any time or in any way 
would sanction the usurpation of temporal 
or spiritual good by any order or society and 
thus secluding it from all who are not of 
that order and making it imjDossible for 
many to obtain it because of phj^sical or fi- 
nancial inabilit3\ God is not a respecter of 
persons, and He does not look to the tem- 
poral environments of an indi\4dual when 
estimating the value of the soul. Rich or 
poor, Jew or Gentile, nationality, race or 
color, nothing of physical restriction prohib- 
its any one from being a welcome recipient 
of the free and open bounties of our God. 

"Come unto Me all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 
11: 28. The "all" includes the entire hu- 
man family, regardless of their inability to. 
meet the requirements of man-made restric- 
tion effecting a social brotherhood. "But 
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His 
righteousness; and all these things shall be 
added unto you," Matt. 6: 33. The "all 



UNSPOTTED FPwOM THE WORLD. 257 

things" include whatever is needful for our 
temporal welfare. 

God is the provider of everything we need. 
He has promised it, and He is faithful to 
His promise. The only condition He lays 
down upon which He makes the promise is 
that we seek His kingdom. This kingdom 
in the world is embodied in the Church of 
Christ. There remains therefore no excuse 
for the existence of any other organization 
pretending to possess similar or identical 
benefits. If the Word of God contains all 
the teaching necessary for a moral and relig- 
ious life, then there is no necessity for an- 
other system outside of that which the Word 
authorizes, in which to embody these impor 
tant teachings. 

While God is free, open, and impartial in 
the distribution of His blessings, these bless- 
ings are of two characters: 1st, Those 
that are universal, such as the physical bless-, 
ings that all enjoy alike, irrespective of 
spiritual attainments. The pleasant sun- 
shine, the refreshing rains, the rich I'esources 
of the earth, health, wealth, and social en- 
joyments, the Sabbath day, the Christian 
Church, the Word of God, are all univeisal 



258 THE GREAT KEDEMPTION. 

gifts bestowed upon all alike. 

2nd, Those that are special, such as are 
given to those who qualify themselves by 
receiving and accepting the universal bless* 
ings in truth and sincerity through faith, re- 
pentance, and baptism. They are the par- 
don of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost, pres- 
ent hope and future happiness, a crown of 
glory in life immortal and all the riches of 
the treasures of heaven. In this way is ex- 
plained the scripture, "For whosoever hath, 
to him shall be given, and he shall have more 
abundance: but whosoever hath not, from 
him shall be taken away, even that he hath.'' 
Matt. 13. 12. 

The former of these blessings all are 
equally entitled to and in receiving the lat- 
ter they in no way loose the benefits of the 
former, but retain them, and add to tbem 
all that is contained in the latter. But from 
him that does not have the latter, there shall 
be taken away the enjoyments and benefits 
of the former. The Lodge system is detri- 
mental to the Christian religion because it 
teaches that the former of these blessings is 
sufficient and does not urge or make obliga- 
tory a Cj[iialification necessary to receive the 



iJlsrSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 259 

latter. It thus attempts to weaken the 
Gospel of Christ and sets at naught the Mas- 
ter's direct statement, ''Except a man be 
born of water and of the spirit, he cannot 
enter the kingdom of God.*" John 3:5. 

Yet the system pretends to be religious; 
offers up prayers, sings songs, and performs 
rites. So artfully devised are all of their 
outward forms that it gives to it an external 
appearance of sacredness and devotion, and 
thus makes itself all the more potent as a 
factor against the Holy Bible and the true 
religion. 

Again it places the Bible and the religion 
of Jesus on the same level with -the Koran, 
the Zend Avesta and all other false religious 
systems; for it admits the members of these 
religious persuasions to membership and fel- 
lowship just the same as it does the Chris- 
tian, thus violating the Christian law of fel- 
lowship. ''Be ye not unequally yoked to- 
gether with unbelievers: for what fellowship 
hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and 
what communion hath light with darkness? 
And what concord hath Christ with Belial, 
or what part hath he that believeth with an 
infidel ? And what agreement hath the tem- 



260 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOK. 

pie of God witli idols ? for ye are tlie temple 
of the living God; as God hatli said, I will 
dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will 
be their God, and they shall be my people. 
Wherefore come out from among them and 
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and tonch 
not the unclean thing; and I will receive 
you. And will be a Father unto you, and 
ye shall be my sons and daughters, sai+h the 
Lord Almighty." 2 Cor. 6: 14-18. 

^^Holy Father, keep through thine own 
name those whom thou hast given me that 
they may be one as we are.'' John 17: 11. 

''And have no fellowship with the un- 
fruitful works of darkness, but rather re- 
prove them. For it is a shame even to speak 
of those things which are done of them in 
secret.'' Eph. 5: 11-12. 

The spectacle of a Christian man, and per- 
haps a minister of the Gospel walking in 
equal ranks with the infidel, or the unbe- 
liever, with the idol worshipper, the pagan 
or the mormon. Bowing to the same author- 
ity,vowing at the same altar, consecrating him 
self at the same shrine, swearing profound 
secrecy and eternal allegiance with him, 
is of all things the most outrageous profana- 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 261 

tion of the sacred name of his religion and the 
solemn vows he has made with his God. The 
Christian is complete in Christ. '^For in 
him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily. And ye are complete in him which 
is the head of all prindpality and power, In 
whom \e are circumcised with the circnmci- 
sion made without hands, in putting off the 
body of the sins of the flesh by the circum- 
cision of Christ." Col. 2: 9-11. Jesus testi- 
fies to the cleansing power of His word when 
He says: ''Now are ye clean through the 
word which I have spoken unto you,'' and 
He declares that except we abide in Him as 
the branch in the true vine we cannot bear 
good fruit ''Without me ye can do nothing.'' 
"Abide in me and I in you," and bring foith 
"much fruit," "So shall ye be my disciples." 
John 15: 1-8. 

There is no need of seeking elsewhere for 
aid to do good and to go elsewhere is to deny 
Christ, for He says, "Ask what ye will and 
it shall be done unto you." To deny Christ 
before men is to insure that He will deny us 
before His Father in heaven. 2 Tim. 2. 12. 

The Christian who asks admittance into 
he Lodge by so doing declares that he has 



262 THE GREAT KEDEMPTIOJST. 

not found in Christ and his Clinrcli all that 
he needs. Then again, when he is ques- 
tioned by the Lodge, as to what it is that he 
seeks, he answers ''Light.'' He again denies 
that Christ is the light that lighteth every 
man that Cometh into the world. (John 1: 9.) 
For he has already professed to have found 
Christ and Christ says, ''I am the light of 
the world; he that followeth me shall not 
walk in darkness but shall have the light of 
life." John 8: 12. The Christian is complete 
in Christ and is led to all the light that is 
needed, ''for in him dwelleth all the fulness 
of the Godhead bodily," and to seek else- 
where for light is to deny that man can live 
a complete life in him. 

Things that are done in secret are called 
"unfruitful works of darkness" and Paul 
warns us to have no fellowship with them 
but to "walk as children of light." Those 
who engage in these works of darkness are 
said to be asleep and dead and Paul calls 
to them to arise, promising that Christ will 
give them light. (Eph. 5: 8-14. 

FREEMASONKY. 
Freemasonry may be called the mother 



TJIS'SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 263 

of the present lodge system, since it enjoys 
the distinction of antedating all others in 
point of age. Though the claims for its 
great antiquity, if they were true, cannot 
be held up in evidence that it is a worthy 
or honorable institution; for there are in the 
world many false religions that are of great 
age. Does not make a wrong institution 
right, but quite frequently adds corruption 
to it. Freemasonry, being the mother of 
lodges, has in it the underlying principle of 
all other lodges, many of which are exceed- 
ingly modified in the rigor of their oaths, 
manner of initiation and mode of working. 

A comparison of the principles of Free- 
masonry with those of Christianity will re- 
veal it as an institution antagonistic to the 
Christian religion, and condemned by the 
Word of God. 

THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEMASONRY AND OF 
CHRISTIANITY COMPARED. 

1. The Divine revelation 1- Freemasonry teaches 
teaches that all Scripture that to require a candi- 
is given by inspiration of ^^ate to profess his belief 
God, and contians the in the authenticity of the 
only unerring rule of faith Bible, or a state of future 
and practice. reward and punishment, 

is a serious innovation in 
the very body of Masonry. 



264 



THE GREAT REDEMPTION, 



2. The Word teaches that 
salvation is obtained only 
through Jesus Christ. ''He 
that entereth not by the 
door into the sheep-fold, 
but climbeth u p some 
some other way, the same 
is a thief and a robber/' — 
John 10: I. 



2. Freemasonry teaches 
that a Mason on the night 
of his initiation, com- 
mences the great task of 
erecting in his heart, a 
spiritual temple for the in- 
dwelling of God. 



3. "He that hath the Son 
hath life and he that hath 
not the Son hath not life." 
1 John 5: 12. 



3. Freemasonry rejects 
the Son of God altogether 
and omits it from script- 
ural quotations. (See quo- 
tations of 2 Thess. 3: 6, in 
Webb's Monitor, p. 120.) 



4. Christ teaches that 
"Except a man be born of 
water and of the Spirit, he 
cannot enter into the king- 
dom of God."-John 3: 5. 



4. Masonry teaches that 
a Master mason has all 
that the soul of man re- 
quires. 



5. Christ says, "I am the 
door, by Me if any man 
enter in he shall be saved. 
—John 10:9. . . "There is 
none other name under 
heaven given among men 
whereby we must be 
saved.''— Acts 4: 12. 



5. Masonry teaches that 
"By a uniform tenor of 
virtuous conduct they re- 
ceive the inappreciable re- 
ward from their celestial 
Grand Master of "Well 
done, thou good and faith- 
ful servant." 



6. Christ says, "Verily I 
say unto you, that ye 
which have followed Me in 
the regeneration, when the 
Son of Man shall sit upon 
the throne of his glory, ye 
also shall sit upon twelve 
thrones judging the twelve 



6. Masonry teaches that 
as the common gavel is an 
instrument used by oper- 
ative Masons to breaK off 
the corners of rough stones 
to better fit them for the 
builder's use, so "We, as 
free and accepted masons, 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 265 

tribes of Israel."— Matt. are taught to make use of 
19: 28. it for the more noble and 

glorious purpose of di- 
vesting hearts aad con- 
sciences of all the vices 
and superfluities of life, 
thereby fitting our minds 
as living stones for that 
spiritual building, that 
house not made with 
hands, eternal ia the heav- 
ens." 

Thus it is seen tliat the foundation prin- 
ciples are laid wholly external from those 
upon which the Christian bases his hope. 
While the avowed end sought in both is the 
same, both for time and eternity, the found- 
ations upon which the structures are laid 
are as different as things divine and human. 
By a well known psychological law, the 
mind cannot accept as true, two antagonis- 
tic principles; hence he who accepts the doc- 
trine and principles of the Lodge system, 
cannot be a true follower and servant of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

Let us take a view of some professed 
Christians, and perhaps a minister of the 
Gospel who has often, from the sacred desk, 
proclaimed the way of life, seeking admit- 
tance into the Lodge. The quotations I 



266 THE OKEAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

shall make are taken from Albert G. Mack- 
ey's Manual of the Lodge. First, the can- 
didate is made to ''sincerely declare" that 
he comes with a desire for knowledge, and 
after due preparation he is given the shock 
OF EisTTRAisrcE which Mackey defines thus: 
"7^ is the symbol of the agonies of the first 
death and of the throes of the new hirth^ 
What! have we here a Christian minister of 
the Gospel who had never been born again ? 
A man who had consecrated himself to God 
and vowed to live faithful until death? 
What does ^/m new birth signify? ''There 
is to be not simply a change for the future, 
but also an extinction of the past; a disrup- 
tion of old ties and formation of new ones." 
Mackey, pp. 21. Here is a man "deliberate- 
ly" and "sincerely" breaking his covenant 
and vow with God. But passing on a little 
farther, he is to receive the shock of eis^- 
LiGHTEiN^MEis^T. Though he already pro- 
fesses to be abiding in Christ and Christ the 
true light, in him, yet he comes to the Lodge 
seeking for light. "This mental illumina- 
tion — this spiritual light, which after his 
new birth the candidate first demands, is 
but another name for Divine Truth — the 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 267 

truth of God and the soul — the nature and 
essence of both — which constitute the chief 
design of all Masonic teaching." It is the 
symbol of the birtJi of intellectual light and 
the dispersion of intellectual darhness,.^^ 
Mackey pp. 30. 

These few quotations will serve to illus- 
trate in a general way the nature and claims 
of the work performed by the Lodge. From 
this it is readily seen, that the Lodge totally 
ignores the work of regeneration and the 
new birth as taught in the Gospel of Christ. 
It also causes the individual who accepts it 
to renounce the work of the Spirit upon 
him and to deny the reception of the gift of 
the Holy Ghost. 

How will this stand in the light of God's 
Word? ''Wherefore I say unto )/ou, all 
manner of sin and blasphemy shall be for- 
given unto men ; but the blasphemy against 
the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto 
men. And whosoever speaketh a word 
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven 
him; but whosoever speaketh against the 
Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, 
neither in this world, neither in the world to 
come," Matt, 12; 21-22, If we sin wilfully 



268 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

after that we have received tlie knowledge 
of the truth there remaineth no more sacri- 
fice for sins. Heb. 10: 26. 



KELIGIOUS FEATURES OF THE LODGE. 

In opening the lodge ''a prayer is address- 
ed to the supreme Architect of the universe.^' 
''A lodge is said to be opened in the name 
of God and the Holy saint John^ as a dec- 
laration of the sacred and religious purpose 
of the meeting." 

PRAYER. 

In the course of the opening prayer, 
which is addressed to the ''most holy and 
glorious Lord God, '4n whose name it is 
avowed that they assemble, and they be- 
seech Him for a blessing upon the meeting, 
and that ''when the trials of our probation- 
ary state is over^" they may "be admitted 
into ^"^6 ^e>/?^9^^ not made with hands, eter- 
nal in the heavens.*'' This is responded to 
by all the members — "So mote it be. Amen." 
A closing prayer is also offered in which 
they implore the presence, protection and 



UlS-SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 269 

blessings of God, and the pardon of what- 
ever he may have seen amiss in them. 

BENEDICTION AT CLOSING: 

"May the blessing of heaven rest upon ns 
and all regular Masons! May brotherly 
love prevail, and every moral and social 
virtue cement us. So mote it be. Amen.*" 
This prayer and this benediction is read 
oftimes by men who make no profession of 
religion at all outside of the lodge, and 
sometimes by the poor deluded Christian 
who is yolded with them. A more irrever- 
ent profaning of sacred privilege, and of 
casting pearls before swine cannot well be 
devised. 

BEADING OF SCRIPTURE. 

The scriptures are often read but care is 
taken to avoid all those in which any men- 
tion of the name of Christ occurs. And in 
passages where it does occur it is omitted. 
Example, 2 Thess. 3: (^, the expression, '4n 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ'^ is omit- 
ted. The reason for this omission is obvi- 
ous. In the lodge there are many, especially 
the Jews, to whom the name of Christ is 



270 THE GREAT REDEMPTI0:N^, 

odious, and offensive. The lodge in order 
not to wound them has stricken from all its 
prayers and reading, that most sacred name- 
The Christian professor while engaged in 
his lodge duties must reject the name of his 
redeemer. Passages similar to Amos 7:7-8 
are usually read. 

SONGS. 

The lodge is provided with anthems, 
hymns, odes, dirges, etc., that are sung on 
appropriate occasions. But instead of sing- 
ing praises to the Lamb of God that taketh 
awaj^ the sin of the world, the praise of the 
lodge is sung. A few examples will illus- 
trate. 

AT THE DEDICATION OF HALLS. 

"When Solomon with wondrous skill, 

A temple did prepare; 
Israel with zeal his courts did fill, 

And God was honored there." 



"And when the final trump shall sound, 

To judge the world of sin; 
Within thy courts may we be found, 

Eternally tiled in." 



UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD. 271 



INSTALLATION HYMN. 

"Hail Masonry divine, 

Glory of ages shine; 
Long may'st thou reign: 

Where'ere thy Lodges stand, 
May they have great command, 

And always grace the land. 
Thou art divine." 



CONSECRATION HYMN. 
"May this fraternal band 

Now CONSECRATED — blcst. 

In union all distinguished stand, 
In purity be dressed." 



FUNERAL DIRGE. 

"Here another guest we bring 

Seraph of celestial wing. 
To our funeral altar come, 

Waft this friend and brother home." 



"Lord of all! below — above 

Fill our hearts with truth and love; 
When dissolves our earthly tie 

Take us to thy lodge on high." 



272 THE aEEAT REDEMPTIOK. 

Compare these songs witli the songs and 
hymns and Psalms that are sung with the 
spirit and understanding in the Christian 
church. So artfully is the religious feature 
of the Lodge system devised as to give all 
the semblance of sacred, pious service. Jt 
may well be said to be the highest accom- 
plishment of the device of the wicked One, 
wherewith to ensnare and if possible de- 
ceive the very elect. The lodge is religious 
but it cannot claim a vestige of the true re- 
ligion. Jesus says, '^No man cometh unto 
the Father but by me."" John 14: 6, but in 
all the religious services of the lodge we 
find men continually imploring God for 
temporal and eternal blessings wholly with- 
out any recognition of the Son. 

EVIL RESULT. 

The secret system involves a waste of 
money, time, and talent. The amount paid 
in initiations, dues and regalia, banqueting 
reveling and parading, robs the home of 
many of its comforts and absolute necessi- 
ties. Its plea as a benevolent institution is 
a fraud and a deception. No one can re- 
ceive its charity unless he has previously 



TJKSPOTTED FROM THE WOELD. 273 

paid into the lodge. Sucli benevolence is 
not charity. Again the statistics of many 
lodges will show that two thirds of the 
amount set apart for charity is squandered 
by the machinery of the lodge before it 
reaches the object of its charity. The lodge 
system robs the church of attendance of 
members, and of money. It muzzles the 
mouth of the minister; robs heaven of souls 
and God of glory, and puts at naught the 
cross of Christ and the blood of the cove- 
nant as a useless thing. It endangers the 
welfare of civil government, mars the hap- 
piness of the home, and gives nothing in re- 
turn but high sounding titles, empty bub- 
bles as the tinkling symbols or sounding 
brass, worldly honor and pompous show. 
The Christian should stand by his home 
and its sacred relationship; stand by his 
country and its welfare; stand by his vows 
of living, everlasting fidelity to God, who 
created him and to Jesus who redeemed him. 



d PART IV. k^ 



THE GREAT REDEMPTION 



CHAPTER L— ^'CHRIST HATH RE- 
DEEMED us;'— Gal. 3: 13. 

T3EF0RE the Christian dispensation, Is- 
^^ rael was under the law, which to keep 
was to them a curse, grievous in many re- 
spects and fruitless further than the good re- 
sulting from material observances. When 
Christ came to the earth He took away the 
curse. He took upon himself the fulfilling 
of the law and completing His work. He 
freed us from its curse, ''Being made a curse 
for us." He redeemed the world, that is, 
He brought it from a state of danger to a 
state of safety. He provided the condition 
whereunto the world can come and find 
salvation. 

To enjoy the benefits of this redemj^tion 
does not imply that all must first be sinners 



THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 275 

before they can be redeemed. If it did, then 
the youth who has been brought up by pious 
parents, ''In the nuture and admonition of 
the Lord,'' must, when he publicly confesses 
Christ and unites with the Church, renounce 
his early training and condemn his religious 
instructions; for if he now needs conversion, 
it is evident that he had not been doing 
right, or had not been trained in the way he 
should go. The Word of Inspiration is im- 
mutable and it says, (Prov. 22:6,) ''Train up 
a child in the way he should go; and when 
he is old, he will not depart from it." When 
a child, who has been trained in the right 
way, comes to the age of accountability, he 
will go on in the way he was trained, and 
there is no conversion about it. His train- 
ing evidently included that he should give 
his heart to God and unite with the Church. 
Christ's redemption touches just such per- 
sons. They need no conversion, (turning 
around from their former course.) They 
need no repentance(deep sorrow for the sin- 
fulness of their former life,) for they com- 
mitted no sin. They were upon the high- 
way of holiness, going toward the celestial 
city, the New Jerusalem. 



276 THE GREAT BEDEMPTION. 

It is true they were surrounded by sin, 
the way was not smoothe, and it was beset 
with many dangers. They made progress to- 
ward the City with difficulty. When they 
accept Christ and are received into the 
Church, they come under the influence of 
His redemption. They step from the com- 
mon way unto the King^s High -way. They 
are now within the confines of the City,(the 
kingdom of God in the world.) They have 
now taken possession of Christ^s offered plan 
of redemption. The way is now paved, there 
are lamps to guide them, guardian angels 
ministers from God hover round them, they 
have been redeemed, brought from danger 
to safety. Christ hath redeemed them. 

But there are others who have not been 
brought up in the way they should go. 
They need conversion in order to be bene- 
fitted by the Great Redemption. They have 
followed the ways of sin and hence they 
need repentance. 

Christ hath redeemed all, that is. He 
stands a willing Refuge with the conditions 
upon which all can be saved. There is but 
one kind of redemption that saves. There 
is however a false assumption substituted by 



THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 277 

men for Gospel redemption, but it does not 
save. To illustrate — I see a man who has 
fallen into the river. He is struggling and 
about to perish. I plunge right in, lay hold 
on him and bring him safe to shore. I have 
redeemed him, hence I am his redeemer; but 
this is not the Gospel plan of redemption. 
I'll try again. Instead of plunging in and 
laying hold on him, I throw out the life-line 
and call to him to lay hold. He obeys and 
I bring him safe to shore. I have redeemed 
him, brought him from a state of danger to 
a state of safety, I am his redeemer. Had 
he not heeded my call I still would have 
been his redeemer, though he perished; I was 
on the shore willing and ready to save him. 
In this way Christ is our redeemer. Wheth- 
er we heed His call or not. He stands upon 
the shore of eternity. He has thrown out 
the life-line. He has sent the call ringing 
down the ages-''Look unto me, and be ye 
saved, all the ends of the earth. ""'-Isa. 45: 22. 
He is willing and He is able. 

He is our redeemer, and He accomplishes 
the work in God's own appointed way and 
not according to how we think it ought to be. 
For the purpose of illustrating, let us draw 



278 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

the picture of the oriental king who found 
among the archives of his palace the out- 
lines of what was to have been a famous 
painting. He called together the artists of 
his kingdom and offered them a rich rew^ard 
if they would produce the finished painting, 
but one after another of those men of fame 
gave up the task, but after all had tried in 
vain, there came one, unknown among them' 
who understood the work. High -titled art- 
ists and men of fame frowned contempt upon 
him, but he labored on until at last he an- 
nounces to the king that on a certain day 
the picture would be finished and the work 
unveiled. Proclamation was made and all 
the subjects of the kingdom assembled. At 
the appointed hour the veil was parted. The 
king with one hand pointing to the picture 
with the other beckoning to the people said, 
''Behold the finished work." All the peo- 
ple arose and shouted, "Crown him, he hath 
nobly wrought it." 

When every means had failed, when the 
work of Moses, Samuel, Saul, and many 
others stood as outlines of Grod's great sal- 
vation, no one seemed able to complete it. 
When royal proclamation had been sounded 



THE GREAT BEDEMPTIOIN^. 279 

througlioiit heaven and earth and no one 
was found able or worthy to take up the 
work, there came one, a babe in Bethlehem, 
unknown to all the world, who undertook 
the task. Patiently He labored, through 
persecutions, trials, and sorrows. He per- 
severed until the eventful day had come 
when He said, ''It is finished.'' 

All creation answered — the sun refused to 
shine, the earth quaked, graves burst open 
and the dead came forth to witness the great 
transaction. ''It is fiinished." The plan of 
redemption is completed. God omnipotent 
upholding the Son, proclaims to all the 
world, "This is my beloved Son in whom I 
am well pleased: hear ye Him." 

The finished work in all its beauty, is 
handed down to us. It is ours, the richest 
treasure in earthly possession. A glance at 
it will still the troubled waves of the baser 
passions and guild with glory rays each ris- 
ing thought' of a holier, happier life. 

Christ is the redeemer of the world both 
past and present. The atonement reaches 
back to those who through faith and obedi- 
ence, before the deluge, were made partak- 
ers of the common salvation. It reaches 



280 THE GREAT EEDEMPTIOl^. 

forward to tlie end of the world. It knows 
no limit. As boundless as is the omnipo- 
tence of God so perfect is the plan of re- 
demption and so equal are the opportunities 
of all to obtain it. 

Before the flood and in the patriarchal 
age this great redemption Avas preached. 
Though crude in form and meager in devel- 
opment, it contained all that was necessary 
or essential for that crude untutored age. 
The dim shadows they may not have traced 
to their material foundation, and the far off 
fulfillment of the first great promise may 
not have been in them a potent factor, stim- 
ulating them to higher motives and nobler 
purposes, yet to those upon whose simple 
hearts the universal God moved as the ''spir- 
it upon the water,'' the merits of the great 
atonement sufficed for their redemption. 

Though they may not have been taught 
in words, the definite will of God, or the 
fulness of his power and purpose; vague in- 
deed may have been even that which was 
taught; yet with the native image of God 
within them, they were sensitive to the va- 
rious languages in which JehovaJi spoke. 
The rising sun, the thunder cloud, the light- 



THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS^. 281 

ning flash, the tranquil calm at eventide, 
each o]3ening bud and blooming flower held 
them in reverential devotion before the 
shrine of their God omnipotent. They wor- 
shiped with that simple innocence and free- 
dom which more marks the free overflowing 
of a grateful heart than a studied exactness 
of ritual obedience. God then dealt with 
men as individuals, patriarchs, tribes and 
classes. His will predominating in their 
hearts, wrought innocent obedience and thus 
made effectual the far off .atonement. 

By and by the plan of redemption took 
more definite shape. The people of his 
choice grew into a great nation. The orig- 
inal patriarchal form of worship gave way 
to the more definite rituals and the scattered 
altars were centralized and united. One 
form was proclaimed and one altar set up. 
The law was now given in words. The 
commandments were written. God pro- 
claimed himself to be the great I AM. 
Leaders of the people were appointed. The 
law was expounded, enlarged upon and car- 
ried into detail. Yet at this time the law 
was figurative, the meaning, Metaphoric 
and the sacrifices symbolic, all pointing to 



282 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOIS'. 

tlie great sacrifice whicli God had ordained 
should, in the fulness of time, do away with 
the hand writing of ordinances upon tables 
of stone, and through him who made the 
sacrifice, should be written upon the heart 
the more perfect will of him who, in the 
ages past, spoke in these divers ways. 

Though the symbols, types and shadows 
may have had an indefiniteness of meaning, 
and the voice of the prophet but half com- 
prehended, yet a simple obedience in the lit- 
eral requirements secured for them, before 
God, a remembrance of their sins, which re- 
membrance brought up to the day of atone- 
ment assured to them the effectual pardon ■ 
ing power of the blood of Christ. So he 
who in the Mosaic dispensation, in simple 
faith applied the means at his disposal, se- 
cured to himself the full benefit of the Great 
Redemption. Thus Christ was his Redeem- 
er. Though his body mouldered back to 
dust; for dust it was and unto dust it must 
return, the spirit went to paradise and there 
awaited the great day of deliverance. 

The fulness of time came Avhen the world 
had travailed in sin and misery and was 
pleading for deliverance. The white robed 



THE GREAT REDEMPTIOJST. 283 

spirits were crying unto God with loud 
voices, saying, '^How long, O Lord, Holy 
and true, dost thou not judge and avenge 
our blood on them that dwell on the earth ^^^ 
God heard the pleading and determined that 
the day of sacrifice should not be delayed. 
Though it cost the condescension, humilia- 
tion and ignominious, shameful death of his 
own dear Son, the offering must be made. 
O the love the Father hath bestowed upon 
us, surpassing human feeling! 

A double mission the Son performed. 
Priest and sacrifice at once. As priest he 
ministered to our wants, teaching us the 
now perfect plan of redemption. In him is 
the fulness of God shown to us. Not con- 
demning the former services and modes of 
worship, but fulfilling them and calling us 
to a higher plane of life. The call is ex- 
tended to all. ''Look to me and be saved 
all the ends of the earth." Isa. 45: 22. 
Having completed his high priestly oftice he 
himself was sacrificed for us, and not for us 
only, but for all the world. 

When he was put to death in the body he 
was quickened in the spirit, by which he 
went and preached to the spirits in prison. 



284 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOJST. 

1 Peter 3: 19. He said to tlie thief on tte 
cross, "Today slialt thou be with me in par- 
adise," Luke 23: 43, signifying that he in- 
tended upon that same day to be in para- 
dise. Reconciling these Scriptures we have 
Christ proclaiming the glad tidings of de- 
liverance (preaching) to those who from 
ancient ages, were in the spirit in paradise 
awaiting the great deliverance. 

Paradise was a place where spirits dwelt 
awaiting the time of the atonement which 
was to be made by Christ . It was a prison 
in the sense of being a place of confinement, 
the spirits could neither go on unto the 
final reward nor could they return to their 
former abode. It was a place of blessed- 
ness for they were safe from the delusive 
snares of the wicked. They could not go 
on to ultimate glory for their deliverance 
had not yet been proclaimed. Long and 
patiently had they waited, some even from 
the days of Noah, believing in the promised 
Messiah. At last he comes. Entering that 
spirit realm he proclaims to them his mis- 
sion. The whole realm was moved, millions 
of spirits were jubilant because their long 
captivity was ended. Passing through, he 



THE GREAT REDEMPTION. 285 

threw open the gates and the mnltitnde of 
captives following. Eph. 4: 8, ''He led 
captivity captive'' (and thus he became the 
''first fruits of them that slept" 1 cor. 15:20.) 
Ascending, the pearly gates of the city of 
God, swung open and with a hallelujah of 
praises the heavenly host was ushered in. 

"He gave gifts to men," their portion in 
eternal life. The way he thus opened, O 
wonderful redeemer, banished is the grave's 
appalling darkness. The fetters that bound 
the soul are loosed and to-day when the 
dissolution of spirit and body is accomplish- 
ed the souls of the just ascend to the Fath- 
er above, the portals of whose kingdom are 
ever open to those who through the blood 
of Jesus are redeemed. 

Not only has he done so much for the 
salvation of the would but he now stands 
on the shore of eternity throwing out the 
life-line and interceding with the Father in 
our behalf. He is calling to all the world. 
"Behold I stand at the door and knock." 
He is calling, shall we not heed ? There is 
no other way. "I am the way." 

God from heaven looked down in pity ou 
the earth when there was no power to save. 



286 THE GREAT REDEMPTIOlSr. 

The law and tlie Prophets had been given 
but they could not save. An untravers- 
able gulf existed between man and salva- 
tion. In Adam all was lost, and irretriev- 
ably lost, until Jesus came to our rescue. 
He standing upon the law and Prophets 
rears his majestic form high over all and 
now proclaims his wonderful and free sal- 
vation. Jesus is the Lamb for sinners slain. 
John saw in heaven before the throne a 
great multitude and they were crying, bless- 
ing, and glory, and wisdom, and honor, and 
power, and might, be unto our God forever 
and ever. Amen. 

And when he asked "what are these 
which are arrayed in white robes and whence 
came they?" He was told, that These are 
they which came out of great tribulation 
and have washed their robes, and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb."" "They 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
more, neither shall the sun light upon them, 
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in 
the midst of the throne shall feed them, and 
shall lead them unto living fountains of 
water; and God shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes." 



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